LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Class 


WASHINGTON-BOUCHER 
CORRESPONDENCE. 


LETTERS 


OF 


JONATHAN    BOUCHER 


TO 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON. 


COLLECTED    AND    EDITED 
BY 

WORTHINGTON  CHAUNCEY  FORD. 


BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. : 

HISTORICAL  PRINTING  CLUB. 

1899. 


fflcC/ 


ONE  HUNDRED  COPIES 
Reprinted  from  the  NEW-ENGLAND  HISTORICAL  AND  GENEALOGICAL  REGISTER,  1898. 


D.  CLAPP  &  SON,  Printers, 
BOSTON. 


LETTERS  OF  JONATHAN  BOUCHER  TO  GEORGE 
WASHINGTON. 


THE  following  letters  possess  more  than  a  personal  interest.  It 
was  an  accidental  circumstance,  a  connection  with  Washington, 
that  lent  some  notoriety  to  Jonathan  Boucher.  It  is  his  ideas  on 
education  that  makes  these  records  of  permanent  interest,  for  they 
throw  some  light  upon  the  conceptions  of  education  entertained 
nearly  a  century  and  a  half  ago  in  Virginia. 

Boucher,  tutor,  divine  and  lexicographer,  was  born  at  Blencogo, 
a  small  hamlet  in  the  parish  of  Bromfield,  England,  12  March, 
1738.  He  received  some  schooling  at  Wigton,  and  towards  the 
end  of  the  year  1755,  went  to  Workington,  in  order  to  study 
mathematics,  under  Rev.  Mr.  Ritson,  who,  Boucher  states  in  his 
autobiography,  of  which  only  extracts  have  been  printed,  "  was  a 
character,  and  thought  so  even  in  a  part  of  the  world  that  is  fruit 
ful  in  characters."  He  must  have  excelled  in  mathematics,  for  as 
schoolmaster  at  Workington  and  minister  of  a  chapel  at  Clifton,  he 
received  £40  a  year.  Yet  by  taking  private  pupils  he  "  not  only 
brought  up  his  family,  but  saved  a  thousand  pounds." 

With  him  Boucher  remained  four  years.  What  happened  then 
may  best  be  described  in  his  own  words. 

"  Early  in  1759,  Mr,  James  heard  that  Mr.  Younger,  a  respectable  mer 
chant  in  Whitehaven,  wanted  a  young  man  to  go  out  as  private  tutor  to  a 
gentleman's  sons  in  Virginia  ....  I  was  to  enter  into  pay  on  the  day  of 
my  leaving  England  ;  to  have  my  passage  gratis  ;  to  have  my  board  and 
sixty  pounds  sterling  a  year  for  teaching  four  boys,  with  liberty  to  take  four 
more,  on  such  terms  as  I  could  agree  for,  on  my  arrival  ....  On  the  12th 
of  July  I  landed  safe  at  Urbanua,  near  the  mouth  of  Rappahannock  river  ; 
and  soon  after  got  to  the  place  of  my  destination,  viz.,  Captain  Dixon's,  at 
Port  Royal,  on  the  same  river,  and  met  with  a  cordial  reception.*  .... 

Being  hospitable  as  well  as  wealthy,  Captain  Dixon's  house  was  much 
resorted  to,  but  chiefly  by  toddy-drinking  company.  Port  Royal  was  in 
habited  in  a  great  measure  by  factors  from  Scotland  and  their  dependents; 
and  the  circumjacent  country  by  planters,  in  general  in  middling  circum- 
,  stances.  There  was  not  a  literary  man,  for  aught  I  could  find,  nearer  than 
in  the  country  I  had  just  left;  nor  were  literary  attainments,  beyond  merely 
reading  or  writing,  at  all  in  vogue  or  repute.  In  such  society  it  was  little 


,  Spotsylvania  Co.,  in  1768,  and  a  little  later  app< 
to  have  had  pecuniary  reverses.  In  1770,  Thomas  Nelson,  Jr.,  had  a  claim  for  a  considera 
ble  amount  due  British  merchants  to  collect  from  him." 


likely  I  should  add  to  my  own  little  stock  of  learning;  in  fact,  there  were 
no  longer  any  inducements  ....  In  all  the  two  years  I  lived  at  Port 
Royal  I  did  not  form  a  single  friendship  on  which  I  can  now  look  back 
with  much  approbation,  though  I  had  a  numerous  acquaintance  and  many 
intimacies  .... 

I  was  now  once  more  quite  to  seek,  and  as  much  at  a  loss  as  ever  as  to 
a  profession  for  life.  My  thoughts  had  long  been  withdrawn  from  the 
church.  Yet  happily,  a  train  of  unforeseen  circumstances  now  led  me  back 
to  this  my  original  bias,  and  at  last  made  me  an  ecclesiastic. 

A  Mr.  Giberne*  was  rector  of  Hanover  parish,  in  King  George's  Coun 
ty,  and  lived  across  the  river,  directly  opposite  to  Port  Royal  ....  He  was 
now  engaged  to  marry  a  rich  widow  in  Richmond  Comity,  and  the  parish 
there  being  vacant,  and  offered  to  him,  it  was  natural  he  should  accept  it. 
All  at  once,  and  without  the  least  solicitation  on  my  part,  or  even  thinking 
about  it,  that  which  he  was  about  to  leave  was  offered  to  me.  The  sud 
denness  of  the  thing  and  my  deep  sense  of  their  kindness,  rather  than  my 
not  knowing  what  else  to  do  with  myself,  determined  me  to  accept  of  it. 
I  did  so,  and  was  to  sail  for  England  for  Orders  the  week  after  ....  Cap 
tain  Stanley,  of  the  Christian,  promised  to  give  me  a  passage  home  and 
back  a^ain  gratis.  I  embarked  on  board  the  Christian  about  the  middle 
of  December,  and  about  the  middle  of  the  following  month  in  1762,  I  ar 
rived  in  Whitehaven,  after  a  rough  and  tempestuous  passage  .... 

All  the  little  time  I  now  staid  in  England  was  one  continued  scene  of 
bustle  arid  hurry.  I  went  from  Whitehaveu  to  London  for  Ordination,  and 
Bishop  Osbaldeston  being  then  just  c  ;me  to  that  see,  I  was  long  detained 
and  much  plagued  before  I  succeeded  .... 

It  was  a  remarkable  coincidence,  though  perfectly  accidental,  that  I  again 
landed  on  the  12th  of  July,  and  again  at  Urbanna  .... 

An  incident  now  occurred,  apparently  of  no  moment,  but  which,  as  it 
led  to  some  circumstances  of  great  moment  in  my  little  history,  I  must  set 
down.  One  Sunday,  as  I  was  riding  to  my  church  at  Leeds,  on  the  road  I 
fell  in  and  joined  company  with  a  stranger  gentleman.  He  was  from  Mary 
land,  of  the  name  of  Swift,  distantly  related  to  the  family  of  the  celebrated 
Dean  ;  and  being  a  merchant,  his  errand  in  my  neighourhood  was  to  secure  a 
large  debt  owing  to  him  which  he  thought,  and  not  without  reason,  to  be  some 
what  hazardous.  I  was  happy  enough  to  point  out  to  him  a  way  of  effecting 
his  purposes,  which  might  not  have  occurred  to  himself,  but  which  happily 
succeeded.  On  his  return  he  spoke  of  my  kind  offices  and  myself  with  such 
warmth  that  next  spring  four  of  his  most  respectable  neighbours  sent  four 
boys  under  my  care,  and  thus  began  my  acquaintance  in  Maryland  .... 

I  seemed  now  to  be  somewhat  in  a  flourishing  way,  and  as  I  was  very  dili 
gent  and  faithful  in  my  employment,  my  character  was  soon  established. 
But  behold,  early  in  August  I  was  seized  with  a  violent  fever,  from  which 
it  was  thought  little  less  than  miraculous  that  I  ever  recovered.  It  was  late 
in  November  before  I  was  able  to  stir  out  of  my  own  doors  ....  During 

*  Of  this  "Rev."  Isaac  William  Giberne  the  commissary  {wrote  in  1766:  "His 
mother  is  a  milliner  in  the  city  of  Westminster.  He  was  not  bred  to  the  church,  but 
was  sometime  a  clerk  in  some  office  on  Tower  Hill.  He  obtained  orders  and  came 
here  under  the  countenance  and  protection  of  the  present  governor  [Fauquier] .  He 
purchased  the  disgust  of  the  Clergy  at  his  first  coming  by  unsuccessful  endeavors  to 
reconcile  them  to  an  Act  of  which  they  had  sent  a  complaint  to  England,  boldly  setting 
his  Youth  and  Rawness  in  opposition  to  the  past  and  present  feelings  of  long  experi 
ence.  .  .  .  Many  of  the  Laity  think  him  too  fond  of  cards  and  gaming  for  one 
of  his  cloth.  He  has  removed  from  one  Parish  to  another  two  or  three  times."  A 
characteristic  letter  of  his  is  printed  in  my  Letters  of  William  Lee,  I.  70. 


this  illness  my  countryman  and  acquaintance,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dawson,  of  St. 
Mary's,  in  Carolina  County,  had  died.  Port  Royal,  where  I  had  formerly 
lived,  was  in  this  parish ;  and  my  friends  so  earnestly  solicited  me  to  suc 
ceed  him,  that,  after  some  hesitation,  I  at  length  consented,  but  not  before 
the  people  of  Hanover,  who  had  so  generously  chosen  me  for  their  minister 
under  many  disadvantages,  also  gave  me  their  entire  approbation.  They 
went  so  far  as  to  continue  my  salary  a  quarter  of  a  year  after  I  left  them ; 
an  instance  of  generosity  which  I  hope  never  to  forget  ....  St.  Mary's  was 
not  a  pleasant  place,  neither  had  it  good  water;  but  there  was  a  good  house, 
and  another  old  one,  which  at  a  little  expense  might  be  made  such  an  one  as 
I  wanted.  To  this  place  I  removed  early  in  the  spring.  And  now,  be 
sides  adding  largely  to  the  furniture  of  the  house,  I  bought  stocks  of  cattle, 
and  horses,  and  slaves. 

But  my  industry  and  exertions  were  extraordinary.  I  had  the  care  of 
a  large  parish,  and  my  church  was  eleven  miles  distance  from  me ;  neither 
had  I  yet  any  stock  of  sermons.  My  first  overseer  turned  out  good  for 
nothing,  and  I  soon  parted  with  him,  so  that  all  the  care  of  the  plantation 
devolved  on  me;  and  though  it  was  my  first  attempt  in  that  way,  I  made 
a  good  crop.  I  had  now  also  increased  my  number  of  boys  to  nearly  thir 
ty,  most  of  them  the  sons  of  persons  of  the  first  condition  in  the  colony. 
They  all  boarded  with  me,  and  I  wholly  superintended  them  myself,  with 
out  any  usher,  for  two  years. 

At  this  glebe  of  St.  Mary's  I  lived,  I  believe,  seven  years.  I  had  a  good 
neighbourhood,  and  many  hospitable  and  friendly  neighbours;  and  I  had  a 
great  turn  for  plantation  improvements,  which  I  indulged  to  a  great  extent. 
Yet  upon  the  whole  I  cannot  look  back  on  this  period  of  my  life  with  much 
satisfaction.  It  was  busy  and  bustling,  but  it  was  not  pleasant,  inasmuch 
as  it  was  very  little  such  a  course  of  life  as  a  literary  man  should  wish  to 
lead.  And  though  it  was  neither  wholly  unprofitable  to  myself,  nor,  I 
trust,  wholly  useless  to  others,  yet  I  attained  neither  of  these  purposes  to 
such  a  degree  as  I  now  think  I  might  have  done 

He  followed  Ritson's  example  and  took  pupils,  two  of  whom, 
young  Custis,  and  a  Mr.  Carr  who  afterward  married  a  sister  of 
Boucher's  wife,  went  with  him  to  Maryland.  It  is  in  regard  to 
Custis  that  these  letters  were  written,  but  before  introducing  them 
a  few  more  sentences  may  be  taken  from  the  autobiography,  des 
criptive  of  the  intellectual  condition  of  the  colony. 

On  my  removal  to  Anpapolis  the  scene  was  once  more  almost  quite  new 
to  me.  It  was  then  the  genteelest  town  in  North  America,  and  many  of 
its  inhabitants  were  highly  respectable  as  to  station,  fortune,  and  education. 
I  hardly  know  a  town  in  England  so  desirable  to  live  in  as  Annapolis  then 
was.  It  was  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  residence  of  the  Governor 
and  all  the  great  officers  of  state,  as  well  as  of  the  most  eminent  lawyers, 
physicians,  and  families  of  opulence  and  note 

A  very  handsome  theatre  was  built  whilst  I  stayed  there  by  subscription ; 
and  as  the  church  was  old  and  ordinary,  and  this  theatre  was  built  on  land 
belonging  to  the  church,  I  drew  up  a  petition  in  verse  in  behalf  of  the  old 
church,  which  was  inserted  in  the  Gazette,  and  did  me  credit.  And  this  I 
think  was  one  of  the  first  things  that  made  me  to  be  taken  notice  of.  I 
also  wrote  some  verses  on  one  of  the  actresses,  and  a  prologue  or  two. 
And  thus,  as  I  was  now  once  more  among  literary  men,  my  attention  was 


once  more  drawn  to  literary  pursuits,  and  I  became  of  some  note  as  a  wri 
ter.  The  Rector  of  Annapolis  is  officially  chaplain  to  the  Lower  Rouse ; 
and  the  salary  was  but  about  101  currency  a  session,  and  even  that  ill-paid. 
It  seemed  an  indignity  to  offer  or  to  receive  a  salary  beneath  that  of  the 
door-keeper  or  mace-bearer;  and  so  I  wrote  a  letter  to  the  assembly  in  as 
handsome  terms  as  I  could,  that  I  would,  if  they  so  pleased,  serve  them  for 
nothing,  but  that,  if  I  was  paid  at  all,  I  would  be  paid  as  a  gentleman. 
This  transaction  also  made  much  talk  in  the  country,  gaining  me  some 
friends  and  more  enemies. 

Three  or  four  social  and  literary  men  proposed  the  institution  of  a  weekly 
club  under  the  title  of  the  Homony  Club,  of  which  I  was  the  first  presi 
dent.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  best  club  in  all  respects  I  have  ever  heard  of,  as 
the  sole  object  of  it  was  to  promote  innocent  mirth  and  ingenious  humour. 
We  had  a  secretary,  and  books  in  which  all  our  proceedings  were  recorded,* 
and  as  every  member  conceived  himself  bound  to  contribute  some  compo 
sition,  either  in  verse  or  prose,  and  we  had  also  many  mirthfully  ingenious 
debates,  our  archives  soon  swelled  to  two  or  three  folios,  replete  with  much 
miscellaneous  wit  and  fun.  I  had  a  great  share  in  its  proceedings;  and  it 
soon  grew  into  such  fame  that  the  governor  and  all  the  principal  people  of 
the  country  ambitiously  solicited  the  honour  of  being  members  or  honorary 
visitants.  It  lasted  as  long  as  I  stayed  in  Annapolis,  and  was  finalty  broken 
up  only  when  the  troubles  began  and  put  an  end  tto  everything  that  was 
pleasant  and  proper 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  Boucher  remained  loyal  to  the 
king,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  Maryland.  Going  to  England  he 
received  a  pension  from  the  crown,  and  devoted  himself  to  philology. 
He  died  in  1804. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  Boucher  was,  in  ability,  much  above 
the  ordinary  divine  to  be  found  in  Virginia  at  that  time.  Many 
very  peculiar  characters  were  exported  from  England  to  lead  the 
souls  of  the  American  colonists  into  the  paths  of  righteousness.  If 
we  were  to  judge  the  sincerity  of  the  church  by  the  character  of 
some  of  its  exponents  and  agents  to  be  found  in  Virginia,  the 
result  would  be  discouraging.  Like  the  merchandise  sent  to 
America,  many  of  the  clergymen  might  have  been  called  "colo 
nials,"  meaning  a  quality  of  article  not  good  enough  to  be  used  at 
home,  but  quite  good  enough  for  use  in  a  colony  thousands  of  miles 
away,  and  where  the  curing  of  tobacco  was  of  equal  importance  with 
curing  of  souls.  No  scandal  ever  attached  to  Boucher.  He  owned 
and  worked  slaves,  but  that  has  a  necessary  incident  where  free 
labor  could  not  exist  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  slavery.  He  taught 
his  slaves,  and  even  made  some  of  them  schoolmasters  for  the  rest. 
He  was  a  Tory,  but  a  good  part  of  the  wealth  and  intelligence  of 
the  colonies  remained  loyal.  He  loved  horse  racing,  but  against 
that  may  be  set  his  ardent  desire  for  intellectual  fellowship,  and  the 
Homony  Club,  one  of  the  earliest  literary  clubs  in  America. 

Wherever  Washington's  letters  throw  light  upon  those  of  Boucher 

*  One  or  more  of  these  volumes  may  be  seen  in  the  collection  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Historical  Society. 


I  have  used  them.  A  letter  from  the  President  of  King's  College 
(now  Columbia  University)  is  inserted  as  germane  to  the  subject. 
In  every  case  the  letters  are  printed  as  the  writers  wrote  them,  as 
any  revision  of  text  would  destroy  one  of  the  main  reasons  for  print 
ing  —  the  illustration  of  character  in  the  writer. 

Boucher  to  Washington.  * 

CAROLINE,  13  June,  1768. 
Sir, 

I  think  myself  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  flattering  Preference  given 
me,  in  thinking  me  a  proper  person  to  undertake  the  Direction  of  mastr 
Custis's  Education.  And  I  will  not  hesitate  to  confess  to  you,  that  it  wou'd 
mortify  me  not  a  little  to  be  depriv'd  of  so  acceptable  an  Opportunity  of 
obtaining  some  Credit  to  myself;  which  I  flatter  myself  there  wou'd  be  no 
Danger  of,  from  so  promising  a  youth.  Yet  am'  I  under  a  necessity  of  in 
forming  you  of  a  Circumstance  in  my  affairs,  which  may  probably  lead  you 
to  look  out  for  another  Tutor  for  your  Ward.  Preferments  in  the  church 
in  Virginia  are  so  extremely  scanty,  that  I  have  for  some  time  been  endea 
vouring  to  establish  an  interest  in  Maryland,  where,  I  doubt  not  but  you 
know,  the  Livings  are  much  better.  I  happened  to  be  in  Annapolis,  chiefly 
upon  this  Business,  at  the  Time  your  Letter  reach'd  this  Place:  and  tho'  I 
have  already  met  with  two  Disappointments,  yet  I  have  recd.  fresh  Prom 
ises  that  I  shall  now  soon  be  provided  for.  If  This  happen  at  all,  as  I  have 
all  ye  Reason  in  ye  world  to  believe  that  it  will,  the  Parish  I  expect  is  That 
of  Aunap8.,  where  also  I  propose  to  continue  superintending  the  Education 
of  a  few  Boys. 

Now,  Sir,  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  consider,  whether  in  Case  such 
a  change  shd.  take  Place,  it  w(l.  be  agreeable  to  you  that  Mastr.  Custis  shou'd 
accompany  me  thither:  for,  otherwise,  I  can  hardly  suppose  you  will  think 
it  worth  his  while  to  come  down  hither,  probably,  for  a  few  months  only. 
For  my  Part  I  cannot  help  imagining  that  you  will  think  Aunap8.  a  more 
eligible  situation,  as  it  is,  I  believe,  rather  more  convenient  to  you,  &  a  post 
Town  from  whence  you  might  have  Letters,  if  necessary,  every  Week  to 
Alexandria.  But  This  is  a  matter  on  which  you  alone  ought  to  judge,  &  in 
which  perhaps  it  becomes  not  me  to  give  my  Opinion.  All  I  have  to  add  is 
that  shu.  you  resolve,  at  all  Events,  to  trust  the  young  Gentleman  to  my  Care, 
either  Here  or  in  Maryland,  I  will  exert  my  best  Endeavours  to  render 
Him  worthy  of  Yours,  &  his  Family's  Expectations.  And  as  He  is  now, 
as  you  justly  observe,  losing  Time,  wou'd  it  be  amiss  to  send  Him  down 
immediately,  if  it  were  only  upon  Tryal,  as  I  presume  He  has  never  yet 
been  remov'd  from  under  the  wing  of  his  Parents:  You  will  then,  from  his 
own  Reports  of  me  &  my  management  of  my  Pupils,  be  better  able  to 
judge  of  the  Propriety  of  continuing  Him  with  me.  And  tho'  it  be  usual 

*  On  May  30,  1768,  Washington  wrote  to  Boucher  asking  if  he  would  be  willing  to 
take  Master  Custis  as  a  pupil.  "  He  is  a  boy  of  good  genius,  about  14  years  of  age, 
untainted  in  his  morals  &  of  innocent  manners.  Two  years  and  upwards  he  has  been 
reading  of  Virgil  &  was  (at  the  time  Mr.  Macgowan  left  him)  entered  upon  the  Greek 
Testament."  Custis  was  to  have  a  boy  and  two  horses,  and  provender  for  the  latter. 
"  If  it  is  necessary  for  him  to  provide  a  Bed,  could  one  be  purchased  in  your  neighbor 
hood  ?  It  would  save  a  long  carriage."  Washington  wrote,  "I  will  cheerfully  pay 
Ten  or  Twelve  pounds  a  year,  extraordinary,  to  engage  your  peculiar  care  of,  &  a 
watchful  eye  to  him,  as  he  is  a  promising  boy,  the  last  of  his  family,  &  will  possess  a 
very  large*  Fortune,  add  to  this  my  anxiety  to  make  him  fit  for  more  useful  purposes 
than  Horse  Racer."  The  whole  kstter  is  in  my  Writings  of  Washington,  H.  257. 


8 

for  Boys  to  find  their  own  Beds,  in  this  case,  that  wou'd  be  unnecessary.  I 
will  furnish  Him  for  the  little  Time  He  will  have  to  stay  before  I  know 
what  my  Destiny  is  to  be.  As  to  Terms,  &c.,  These  may  be  settled  here 
after.  All  I  shall  now  say  of  Them  is,  that  from  what  I  have  heard  of 
Coll0.  Washington's  character,  they  are  such  as  I  am  well  convinced  He 
will  not  think  unreasonable. 

I  have  been  under  much  concern  that  it  was  not  sooner  in  my  Power  to 
acknowledge  the  rec*.  of  yr.  obliging  Letter:  this  is  forwarded  by  a  serv1. 
of  Mr.  Addison's,  whom  I  have  requested  to  send  it  over  to  Alexandria,  by 
wh.  Means  I  hope  you  will  receive  it  sooner  than  by  Post. 
I  am,  very  respectfully,  Sir, 
Yr  most  Obedient  & 

most  Hble  Serv*. 

JONA".  BOUCHER. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

CAROLINE,  16  June,  1768. 
Sir, 

Altho'  I  have  already  return'd  an  Ansr  to  yr  obliging  Letter  of  the  30th 
ult :  by  a  serv1  of  the  Revd  Mr  Addison's  who  went  from  hence  a  Day  or 
two  ago,  yet  as  you  seem'd  desirous  to  hear  from  me  as  soon  as  possible,  & 
as  Coll0  Lewis  now  informs  me  that  He  can  furnish  me  wth  an  Oppty 
directly  to  your  House,  I  am  desirous  to  convince  you,  that  I  have  not  been 
inattentive  to  the  Matter  of  yr  Request.  In  my  former  Lr,  I  have  informed 
.you  of  my  Expectations  of  removing  shortly  to  Annap8,  where  I  propose 
also  to  continue  to  take  Care  of  a  few  Boys,  &  have  left  it  to  yrself  to 
judge  whether,  in  that  Case,  it  wou'd  be  agreeable  to  you  &  Mrs.  Wash 
ington,  that  Mast1'  Curtis  shd  accompany  me  thither,  as,  unless  he  shou'd,  I 
imagin'd  you  wou'd  hardly  think  it  worth  while  to  send  Him  abroad  to  a 
school,  wh  may  probably  be  broke  up  in  a  very  few  Months.  I  added  also, 
that  sha  you  approve  of  this,  I  shou'd  be  glad  He  might  come  down  hither, 
in  the  Manner  you  have  propos'd,  immediately;  which,  I  suppose,  He  may 
easily  do,  as  there  will  be  no  Occasion  for  his  making  much  Preparation ; 
since,  if  I  shd  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  again  disappointed  in  Maryland, 
&  be  obliged  to  remain  still  where  I  now  am,  it  will  be  as  Easy  for  you 
hereafter  to  furnish  Him  wm  any  thing  He  may  happen  to  want ;  and  in 
the  mean  Time,  it  will  be  no  Inconvenience  to  me  to  let  Him  use  one  of 
my  Beds,  &c.  Arid  This  is  all,  or  nearly  all,  I  yet  have  it  in  my  Power 
to  give  you  for  Ansr:  I  sincerely  wish  the  Uncertainty  of  my  present 
Prospects  wou'd  allow  me  to  speak  more  positively. 

Ever  since  I  have  heard  of  Mastr  Custis,  I  have  wish'd  to  call  Him  one 
of  my  little  Flock;  and  I  am  not  asham'd  to  confess  to  you  that,  since  the 
Rec*  of  yr  Letter,  I  have  wish'd  it  much  more.  Engag'd  as  I  have  now 
been  for  upwards  of  seven  Years  in  the  Education  of  Youth,  you  will  own 
it  must  be  mortifying  to  me  to  reflect,  that  I  cannot  boast  of  having  had 
the  Honr  to  bring  up  one  Scholar.  I  have  had,  'tis  true,  Youths,  whose 
Fortunes,  Inclinations  &  Capacities  all  gave  me  Room  for  ye  most  pleasing 
Hopes:  yet  I  know  not  how  it  is,  no  sooner  do  They  arrive  at  that  Period 
of  Life  when  They  might  be  expected  more  successfully  to  apply  to  their 
Studies,  than  They  either  marry,  or  are  remov'd  from  School  on  some,  per 
haps  even  still,  less  justifiable  Motive.  You,  Sir,  however,  seem  so  justly 
sensible  of  ye  vast  Importance  of  a  good  Educan,  that  I  cannot  doubt  of 


your  heartily  concurring  in  every  Plan  that  might  be  propos'd  for  ye  Advan 
tage  of  yr  Ward :  And  what  I  am  more  particularly  pleased  with  is,  the 
ardent  Desire  you  express  for  ye  Cultiva11  of  his  moral,  as  well  as  his  Intel 
lectual  Powers.  I  mean,  that  He  may  be  made  a  Good,  as  well  as  a 
learned  &  sensible  Man.  That  Mastr  Custis  may  be  both  is  the  sincere 
wish  of,  *  Sir, 

Yr  most  obed1  & 
most  PIble  Servfc 

JoNAn  BOUCHER. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

-^       c.  CAROLINE,  15  July,  1768. 

Dear  Sir,  J' 

I  have  just  Time  to  put  a  Cover  over  The  Enclosed  &  to  add  to  the 
Informans  I  suppose  Mastr  Custis  himself  has  given  you,  that  He  has 
enjoy'd  perfect  Health  ever  since  you  left  Him,  exceptg  two  or  three  Days 
that  He  complained  of  a  Pain  in  his  stomach,  which  I  at  first  took  for  the 
Cholic,  but  since  think  it  more  likely  that  it  might  be  owing  to  Worms. 
As  it  easily  went  off  by  two  or  three  Medicines  I  gave  Him,  and  as  He 
has  had  no  Returns,  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  consult  Dr.  Mercer  ;f 
which  however,  I  shall  immediately  do,  if  you  desire  it. 

You  will  oblige  us  by  looking  into  yr  Books  for  a  Work  of  Cicero's, 
De  officiis,  or  his  Familiar  Epistles  —  &  Livy :  &  sending  Them  down  by 
ye  first  opportunity  that  [offers]. 

Be  so  obliging  to  me  as  to  excuse  the  Shortness  of  this  Letter;  it  shall 
not  be  long,  ere  I  will  write  to  you  more  fully.  The  Messenger,  who  is  to 
carry  This  to  ye  office,  now  waits  for  me. 

I  am,  very  respectfully 
yr  most  obed*  Hble  Serv4 
JoNAn  BOUCHER. 

g-r  ST.  MARY'S,  2  August,  1768. 

I  do  not  recollect  that  Mastr.  Custis  has  had  any  Return  of  ye  Pain  in 
his  stomach,  which  I  told  you  I  suspected  to  be  occasioned  by  worms :  but 
as  it  is  but  too  probable  that  He  may  have  a  little  of  the  ague  &  Fever  in 
This  or  ye  next  month,  this  complaint,  it  is  not  unlikely,  may  return ;  and 
if  it  does,  in  any  considerable  Degree,  Dr.  Mercer  shall  be  consulted. 

Mastr.  Custis  is  a  Boy  of  so  exceedingly  mild  &  meek  a  Temper,  that  I 
meant  no  more  by  my  Fears,  than  a  Doubt  that  possibly  He  might  be 
made  uneasy  by  ye  rougher  manners  of  some  of  his  schoolfellows.  I  am 
pleas'd,  however,  to  find  that  He  seems  to  be  perfectly  easy  &  happy  in  his 
new  situation ;  and  as  the  first  shock  is  now  over,  I  doubt  not  but  He  will 
continue  so.  You  know  how  much  the  quest",  has  been  agitated  between 
ye  advantages  of  a  private  &  a  public  Educan. :  &  this  young  G — man  has 
afforded  me  occasion  to  rellect  upon  it  rather  more  than  I  had  done  before. 
His  Educan.  hitherto  may  be  call'd  a  private  one;  &  to  This, perhaps  chief 
ly,  He  owes  that  peculiar  Innocence  &  sanctity  of  manners  wh.  are  so  amia 
ble  in  Him:  but  then,  is  He  not,  think  you,  more  artless,  more  unskill'd  in 
a  necessary  address,  than  He  ought  to  be,  ere  He  is  turn'd  out  into  a  world 
like  this  ?  In  a  private  Seminary,  his  Passions  cou'd  be  seldom  arouzed : 
He  had  few  or  no  Competitors;  and  therefore  cou'd  not  so  advantageously, 

*  "June  30,  1768.    Went  to  Mr.  Boucher's,  dined  there,  and  left  Jackey  Custis. 
Returned  to  Fredericksburg  in  the  afternoon."— Entry  in  Washington's  Diary. 
f  Hugh  Mercer,  of  revolutionary  memory. 


10 

as  in  a  more  public  Place,  be  inured  to  combat  those  little  oppositions  & 
collisions  of  Interest,  wh.  resemble  in  miniature  the  contests  y*  happen  in 
ye  grl  school  of  ye  world.  And  let  our  Circumstances  in  ye  world  be  what 
They  will,  yet,  considering  the  thousand  unavoidable  Troubles  that  human 
nature  is  Heir  to,  This  is  a  Part  of  Educan,  tho  seldom  attended  to,  wh.  I 
think  of  more  Importance  than  almost  all  ye  Rest.  When  children  are 
taught  betimes  to  bear  misfortunes  &  cross  accidents  wth  becomg.  Forti 
tude,  one  half  of  ye  Evils  of  Life,  wth  wh.  others  are  dejected,  afflict  not 
Them.  Educan  is  too  generally  considered  merely  as  ye  acquis".  of  knowl 
edge,  &  ye  cultiva11.  of  ye  intellectual  Powers.  And,  agreeably  to  this  no 
tion,  wn.  we  speak  of  a  man  well-educated,  we  seldom  mean  more  than  that 
He  has  been  well  instructed  in  those  Languages  wh.  are  ye  avenues  to 

;  knowledge.  But,  surely,  This  is  but  a  partial  &  imperfect  ace4,  of  it:  &  ye 
aim  of  Educan.  shd  be  not  only  to  form  wise  but  good  men,  not  only  to  cul 
tivate  ye  understanding,  but  to  expand  ye  Heart,  to  meliorate  ye  Temper,  & 

\  fix  y&  gerirous  Purpose  in  yQ  glowing  Breast.  But  whether  This  can  best 
be  done  in  a  private  or  public  school,  is  a  Point,  on  wh.  so  much  may  be 
said  on  both  sides,  that  I  confess  myself  still  undetermined.  Yr  son  came 
to  me  teeming  wth.  all  ye  softer  virtues :  but  then  I  thought,  possess'd  as 
He  was  of  all  ye  Harmlessness  of  ye  Dove,  He  still  wanted  some  of  ye  wis 
dom  of  ye  Serpent.  And  This,  by  ye  CEconomy  of  my  Family,  He  will 
undoubtedly  sooner  acquire  here  than  at  Home.  But,  how  will  you  forgive 
me  shd.  I  suffer  Him  to  lose  in  Gentleness,  Simplicity,  &  Inoffensiveness, 
as  much  as  He  gains  in  Address,  Prudence,  &  Resolu11?  And  I  must  as 
sure  you  fm.  Experience,  that  This  is  a  Dilemma  by  no  means  so  easily 
avoided  in  Practice,  as  it  may  seem  to  be  in  Theory.  Upon  the  whole, 
however,  I  can  honestly  give  it  as  my  Opinion  (and,  as  it  must  give  you 
&  Mrs.  Washington  much  Comfort  &  Pleasure  to  hear  it,  I  hope  you  will 
not  suspect  yfc.  I  c'd  be  so  mean  as  to  say  so,  if  I  did  not  think  so,)  that  I 
have  not  seen  a  Youth  that  I  think  promises  Fairer  to  be  a  good  &  a  use 
ful  man  than  John  Custis.  'Tis  true,  He  is  far  fm.  being  a  brilliant  Genius; 
but  This  so  far  from  being  considered  as  a  Reflexion  upon  Him,  ought  rather 
to  give  you  Pleasure.  Parents  are  generally  partial  to  gr*.  Vivacity  & 
Sprightliness  of  Genius  in  thr.  children ;  whereas,  I  think,  that  there  can 
not  be  a  symptom  less  expressive  of  future  Judgment  &  solidity;  as  it 
seems  thoroughly  to  preclude  not  only  Depth  of  Penetration,  but  yfc  attenn. 
&  applica".  wh  are  so  essentially  requisite  in  ye  acquisi11.  of  knowledge.  It 
is,  if  I  may  use  ye  simile  of  a  Poet,  a  busy  Bee,  whose  whole  Time  passes 
away  in  mere  Flight  fm  Flower  to  Flower,  with*  restg  upon  any  a  sufffc. 
Time  to  gather  Honey. 

He  will  himself  inform  you  of  ye  accident  He  lately  met  with ;  and  as 
He  seems  to  be  very  apprehensive  of  yf.  Displeasure,  cd.  I  suppose  it  ne 
cessary,  I  wd.  urge  you  &  his  mamma  to  spare  Rebukes,  as  much  as  he 
certainly  deserves  Them.  Mrs.  Washington  may  believe  me  that  He  is 
now  perfectly  well.  He  seem'd  to  xpect  me  to  employ  a  Doctr,  but  as  He 
met  wth.  ye  accident  by  his  own  ludiscre11,  &  as  I  saw  there  was  no  Dan 
ger,  I  thought  it  not  amiss  not  to  indulge  Him.  The  calling  in  a  Physician 
upon  any  trifling  Occasion,  I  think,  is  too  likely  to  render  Children  need 
lessly  timorous  &  cowardly. 

I  did  not  misunderstand  ye  meaning  of  yr.  Request,  in  ye  matter  wherein 
you  suspect  I  possibly  might;  being  persuaded  that  you  know  as  well  as  I 
do,  that  such  particular  Attention  is  not  only  unnecessary,  but  impractica 
ble.  He  will  probably  inherit  a  much  more  considerable  Fortune,  than 


11 

any  other  Boy  here ;  and  I  thought  it  by  no  means  an  improper  or  unreason 
able  Request  that  a  prticular  attenn.  shd  be  bestow'd  on  a  youth  of  his  Ex- 
pectans.  But  as  any  Partiality  to  Him  on  ye  trifling  Circumstances  of  his 
Diet  or  other  accommoda113.  wd.  be  rather  disserviceable  to  Him  than  other 
wise,  I  have  taught  Him  not  to  expect  it.  The  only  prticular  attenn.  you 
c'1.  wish  for,  I  also  think  Him  entitled  to;  &  that  is,  a  more  vigilant  attenn. 
to  ye  Propriety  &  Decorum  of  his  Behavr,  &  ye  restrain8  Him  F1  many 
Indulgences,  wh.  I  shd.  willingly  allow  prhaps  to  anor.  Boy,  whose  Prospects 
in  Life  do  not  require  such  exalted  sentimts.  Ye  allowing  Him  more  fre 
quently  to  sit  in  my  Company,  &  being  more  careful  out  of  ye  Company  of 
Those,  who  might  probably  debase  or  taint  his  morals.  Had  I  my  choice, 
believe  me,  it  wd.  be  more  agreeable  to  me  to  superintend  ye  Educa".  of  ' 
two  or  three  promisg  Lads,  than  to  lead  a  Life  of  ye  most  voluptuous  In 
dolence:  but  the  Truth  is,  oblig'd  as  I  was  to  engage  in  it  by  necessity  & 
not  by  choice,  I  have  often  found  myself  so  ill-requited,  &  ye  office  itself 
considered  as  so  low,  &  so  often  taken  up  by  ye  very  lowest  Fellows  one 
knows  of,  that,  after  havg  laboured  in  it  for  upwards  of  seven  years,  with* 
havg  added  much  either  to  my  Fortune  or  Reputa11,  I  am  almost  resolv'd 
to  drop  it  entirely.  Yet  whilst  it  continues  to  be  agreeable  to  you  to  let 
Mast1'.  Custis  remain  with  me,  it  will  be  a  Pleasure  to  me  to  have  ye  man- 
agem*.  of  Him :  nor  can  I  indeed  come  to  any  decisive  Resolun.  as  to  ye 
other  matter,  till  I  know  more  certainly  ye  Fate  of  my  Expectans.  in  Mary 
land. 

Be  so  obliging  as  to  find  some  speedy  &  safe  conveyance  for  a  Lr.  to  Mr. 
Addison,  wh.  I  take  ye  Liberty  of  recommendg.  to  yr  prticular  Care,  as  it 
might  be  of  much  Detriment  to  me,  shd.  it  fall  into  ill  Hands,  as  has  been 
ye  case  once  before. 

I  beg  Pardon  for  this  very  tedious  Letter,  wh.  I  have  tax'd  you  wth.  ye 
Perusal  of,  and,  wt]1  mine  &  my  sister's  compt8.  to  Mrs.  Washington,  I  am 
&c. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 
Dear  Sir  CAROLINE,  5  September,  1768. 

I  was  much  concern'd  for  Mastr  Custis's  Indisposition,  wb  yet  I  foresaw, 
&  shd  have  told  you  so,  as  I  did  Him,  had  I  not  been  unwell  at  ye  Time 
He  left  us.  He  is  fond  of  Fruit,  &  w*  is  worse  for  Him,  He  is  fond  of 
cucumbers ;  &  to  These,  I  doubt  not,  in  a  g*  measure,  He  owes  his  bilious 
complaints.  A  better  air,  &  stricter  attention,  I  trust,  will  soon  restore 
Him  to  his  former  Health. 

I  did  intend  to  have  dismiss'd  my  Boys  a  week  ago ;  but  thr  Parents  & 
Friends  havs  neglected  to  send  for  Them,  many  of  Them  have  had,  &  still 
have  this  vile  Disorder.  And  as  both  my  Sister  &  Usher  are  also  down  in 
it,  I  see  no  chance  I  have  of  quitting  ye  Place  during  ye  sickly  season,  wh 
was  my  chief  aim.  Thank  God,  the  Fevers  are  not  very  obstinate  this 
year,  &  easily  give  way  to  Vomits  and  Bark. 

Unless  you  hear  from  me  again,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  Jack  here  agn 
abl  ye  latter  End  of  this  month,  if  his  Health  will  then  permit  Him  :  &  I 
hardly  expect  He  will  be  in  a  Capacity  to  leave  Home  much  sooner. 
Then,  I  hope,  he  may  come  without  Danger.  Mr.  Addison  is  expected 
here  every  Day,  who  will  probably  either  come  or  return  your  Way. 

I  beg  my  comp13  to  Mrs.  Washington  &  her  son,  &  am  &c.* 

*  "December  16,  1768,  Jacky  Custis  came  home  from  Mr.  Boucher's." — Entry  in 
Washington's  Diary. 


12 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

FREDERiCKSBg,  11  January,  1769. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  have  been  much  concern'd  that  it  has  not  been  in  my  Power  to  spend 
a  few  Days  at  Mount  Vernon,  as  I  hop'd  I  should.  A  very  painful  Dis 
order  I  labour'd  under  when  Mastr  Custis  left  me,  confin'd  me  to  my  Bed 
a  Fortnight ;  and  now  it  is  too  late  to  set  out,  when  I  expect  all  my  little 
Flock  to  return  immediately,  as  some  of  Them  already  are.  You  will 
please  therefore  to  let  Mastr  Custis  know,  that  it  will  be  to  no  Purpose  for 
him  now  to  wait  for  me,  as  we  proposed  when  we  parted ;  &  that  I  shall 
expect  to  see  Him.  at  St.  Mary's,  as  soon  as  ever  a  good  Day  or  two  may 
tempt  Him  to  set  out. 

If  Mr.  Magowan  be  still  with  you,  be  so  good  as  to  enquire  if  He  recd  a 
Lr  fm  me  abl  a  month  ago :  The  Parish  In  Louisa  I  mentioned  to  Him  is 
still  vacant,  tho'  warmly  sollicited  for  by  his  Fellow-Candidate  Mr.  Contes 
&  others.  I  am  &c. 


Washington  to  Boucher. 

MOUNT  VERNON,  24  April,  1769. 

Your  favor  of  the  17th  came  to  my  hands  this  day;  the  contents  of 
which,  or  the  Letter  itself  shall  soon  reach  Mr.  Addison's  hands.  In 
respect  to  the  Dancing  Gentry,  I  am  glad  to  find  you  have  such  a  choice  of 
them,  and  that  Newman  has  got  the  start  of  his  rival  Spooner,  because  I 
have  heard  him  well  spoken  of  as  a  teacher  in  that  science.  The  other's 
misfortune  might  recommend  him  to  the  notice  and  charity  of  the  well  dis 
posed,  but  if  his  accomplishments  in  that  way  are  inferior  to  the  other's,  it 
ought  by  no  means  to  entitle  him  to  the  preference.  You  will  be  so  good, 
therefore,  sir,  to  enter  Master  Custis  with  Mr.  Newman  for  a  year  or  other 
wise  as  he  may  form  his  school.  Mrs.  Washington  I  can  venture  to 
assure  you,  will  be  very  glad  to  see  you  at  Mount  Veruon  in  the  recess  of 
Whitsun  Hollidays,  but  it  is  a  pleasure  I  must  be  deprived  of,  as  I  expect 
to  be  in  Williamsburg  before,  and  long  after  that  time. 


Washington  to  Boucher. 

MOUNT  VERNON,  July  13th,  1769. 
Revd  Sir 

As  we  have  fixed  upon  the  27th  Instfc  for  our  departure  to  the  Frederick 
Springs,  &  Mrs  Washington  is  desirous  of  seeing  her  son  before  she  leaves 
home,  I  am  now  to  request  the  favour  of  you  to  permit  him  to  come  up  for 
that  purpose  so  soon  as  this  letter  gets  to  hand  (by  Mr  Stedlar,  which  I  am 
told  will  be  eight  days  after  date). 

Nothing  new  in  this  part  of  the  country  worth  a  recital,  and  therefore  I 
have  only  to  add  the  compts  of  Mrs  Washington  and  my  own  to  yourself  & 
Miss  Boucher,  and  our  Loves  to  Jacky. 

I  am,  Revd  Sir,  yr  most  Hble  Serv4.* 

*  A  copy  of  this  letter  was  courteously  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  R.  F.  Sketchley,  in  charge 
of  the  Forster  Collection,  South  Kensington  Museum. 


13 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

CAROLINE,  20  July,  1769. 
Sir, 

In  consequence  of  your  Lr,  Mastr  Custis  now  waits  on  you;  &  as  this  is  a 
pretty  busy  Time  with  us  in  school,  I  shall  be  glad  He  may  set  off  back 
again  at  ye  same  Time  you  do  for  the  springs. 

Enclosed  you  have  his  ace*  for  ye  last  year,  which  as  you  were  so  oblig 
ing  as  to  offer  me  when  I  was  at  Mount  Vernon,  I  will  beg  ye  Favr  of  you 
now  to  send  by  Jack.*  I  hope  it  will  not  appear  too  high  to  you;  it  being 
just  what  I  charged  ye  only  Boy  (Mr  Turner)  I  ever  had  living  wth  me  in 
ye  same  manner  he  does.  For  my  own  Part,  I  must  own  to  you,  I  charge 
his  Horses  merely  by  Guess,  havs  never  very  nearly  attended  to  ye  Ex- 
pence  of  maintaiug  a  Horse :  Those  I  have  mentioned  ye  matter  to  here, 
think  it  too  low :  you,  probably  may  have  had  occasion  to  consider  ye  mat 
ter,  therefore  I  beg  leave  to  refer  it  entirely  to  yrself.  I  have  yet  to  men 
tion  to  you  on  this  subf  that,  perswaded  by  my  own  Experience,  I  have 
lately  come  to  a  Resolu11  of  takg  no  more  Boys  for  less  than  £25  pr  ann : 
There  are  now  four  upon  these  Terms,  &  more  expected  soon.  Unless 
therefore  you  object  to  it  in  Time,  you  must  expect  next  year  to  find  your 
son  charged  so  too. 

I  have  a  Pleasure  in  informing  you  that  I  please  myself  wtb  thinkg  we 
now  do  much  better  than  formerly :  You  will  remr  my  havg  complain'd  of 
Jack's  Laziness,  which,  however,  I  now  hope  is  not  incurable.  For  I  find 
He  will  bear  driving,  which  heretofore  I  us'd  to  fear  He  would  not.  He 
has  met  wth  more  Rigr  since  I  saw  you,  than  in  all  ye  Time  before,  &  he  is 
the  better  for  it.  This  I  mean  only  as  to  his  Books ;  in  other  matters,  He 
is  faultless.  His  new  Boy  too  is  infinitely  fitter  for  Him  than  Julius  ;  &  if 
He  be  not  spoil'd  here,  which,  in  Truth,  there  is  some  Danger  of,  you  & 
He  &  I  too  will  all  have  cause  to  be  pleas'd  at  his  having  made  ye  Ex 
change. 

Miss  Boucher  was  very  intent  on  going  to  the  springs,  but  being  now 
convinced  that  she  cannot,  consistent  with  associa11  Principles,  she  is  con 
tented  to  drop  it.  She  begs  her  respectful  compts  to  Mrs.  Washington  & 
Miss  Custis  may  be  joiu'd  to  mine,  heartily  wishing  them  as  well  an  agree 
able  Jaunt,  as  that  They  may  reap  all  the  Benefit  they  xpect  from  the  wa 
ters.  I  am  &c. 

I  had  forgot  .that  the  Dancing  school  is  to  be  at  this  House  next  Friday. 
He  has  already  miss'd  two,  &  sh'd  not  therefore,  I  think,  neglect  attending 
this.f 

Washington  to  Boucher. 

4  December,  1769. 

"  Jacky  will  inform  you  of  the  Reasons  why  he  brings  not  the  Books  you 
wrote  to  me  for,  and  to  him  I  refer.  Perhaps  all,  or  most  of  them,  were 
included  in  the  catalogue  I  sent  to  England  for  him,  and  if  so,  I  expect 
they  will  be  in,  in  less  than  three  months. 

"  The  Printer  has  promised  to  have  a  Musick'Book  rul'd  for  Miss  Bou 
cher  if  I  come  up,  if  so  it  shall  be  brought.  Jack's  stay  has  been  longer 
here  than  we  intended,  but  we  hope  he  will  endeavour  to  make  atonement 
by  extraordinary  diligence." 

*  July  20,  1769.    Paid  Rev.  Mr.  Boucher,  for  schooling  and  Board  of  J.  P.  Custis, 
servt,  horses  &c.a,  £42,  1,  11. — Ledger  entry. 
f  Washington  went  to  the  Springs  July  31  and  returned  in  September. 


14 

Doctor  Cooper  to  Doctor  Boucher. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK,  22  March,  1770. 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  hold  myself  much  obliged  to  you  for  good  will,  as  well  as  good 
offices,  towards  this  college,  as  instanced  in  your  Conduct  respecting  Mr. 
Custis;  and  I  am  under  still  weightier  obligation,  when  I  consider  your 
very  friendly  suspension  of  Belief,  with  Regard  to  some  Reports,  which  you 
tell  me  have  been  circulated  in  your  Parts  to  our  prejudice.  I  am  con 
scious  that  we  have  Enemies  in  abundance — that  every  Dissenter  of  high 
principles,  upon  the  Continent,  is  our  Enemy — that  many  of  their  mission 
aries,  from  the  northern  into  the  southern  provinces,  make  it  their  Busi 
ness,  nay,  have  it  in  Charge  from  their  masters,  to  decry  this  Institution  by 
all  possible  means;  because  they  are  convinced,  from  its  very  Constitution — 
being  in  the  Hands  only  of  Churchmen ; — which  is  very  far  indeed  from  be 
ing  the  Case  of  any  other  college  to  ye  northward  of  Virginia, — and  I  know 
of  none  to  the  southward  of  it — they  are  convinced  that  it  must  eventually 
prove  one  of  the  finest  supports  to  ye  Church  of  England  in  America. 

Hence  there  arose  an  opposition  coeval  with  ye  College  itself — or  rather, 
with  the  very  first  Mention  of  an  Institution  so  circumstanced;  which  hath 
been  continued,  without  Interruption,  to  this  very  Day,  with  much  Resent 
ment,  Inveteracy,  and  Malice.  The  College  of  New  Jersey — and  those  of 
New  England — were  already  in  their  own  sole  Directions,  and  yet  they 
could  not  be  satisfied  that  ye  poor  Church  should  have  any  Influence  in  one: 
not  that  Dissenters  of  any  Denomination  are  excluded  from  either  Learn 
ing  or  Teaching ;  nay,  we  have  educated  many,  and  have  several  at  this 
very  Time,  who  do  Honor  both  to  us  and  to  themselves. 

However,  oweiug  to  the  very  Opposition,  or  to  our  own  Care  &  Circum 
spection, — which  may,  perhaps,  have  arisen  from  the  former, — our  Num 
bers  yearly  increase,  and  our  present  apartments  overflow.  It  would  ill 
become  any  one,  to  boast  of  the  advantages  enjoy'd  by  a  Seminary  over 
which  he  himself  presides  :  but  I  will  venture  to  affirm,  that,  with  Respect 
to  Discipline  (which,  it  seems,  is  one  heavy  accusation  exhibited  against  us) 
we  are  far  from  being  outdone  by  any  College  on  the  American  Continent : 
and  I  know  of  none  in  Europe,  to  which,  in  this  article,  we  are  really  infe 
rior.  Add  to  this,  that  the  Expence — however  such  Things  may  be  mag 
nified  by  our  adversaries,  is  not  half  so  much  as  at  any  of  the  latter ;  and, 
I  believe  very  little,  if  at  all,  more,  than  at  most  of  the  former.  Our 
Tuition  is  only  five  pounds — one  Dolr  passing  for  8  shillings — New  York 
currency :  Room  rent  four  ;  and  Board,  including  Breakfast,  Dinner  and 
Supper,  at  ye  Rate  of  eleven  shillings  a  week,  for  ye  Time  each  student  is 
actually  in  College.  These  (saving  Firewood,  Candles  &  Washing,  which 
must  be  had  everywhere,)  are  the  principle  Expences,  indeed  almost  the 
only  ones,  of  the  truly  collegiate  kind.  Others,  indeed,  may  run  higher — 
as  in  Dress,  and  sometimes  in  Company,  than  they  do  at  Colleges  in  the 
Country;  tho'  even  these  will  not  be  materially  different  to  a  student  of 
real  Gentility :  For  such  a  one  will  chuse  to  appear  handsomely-habited 
in  all  situations  ;  and  when  he  does  go  into  Company,  he  will  chuse  the  best 
for  his  associates. 

With  Regard  to  our  plan  of  Education,  it  is  copied,  in  the  most  material 
Parts,  from  Queen's  College  in  Oxford  ;  with  the  wh[ole]  system  of  which, 
(having  been  for  many  years  both  Learner  and  Teacher  in  that  seminary, 
with  the  character  of  which  you  are  by  no  means  unacquainted,)  I  looked 
upon  myself  as  perfectly  familiar. 


15 

The  young  Gentleman's  Guardian  may  rely  on  everything  in  my  Power 
for  his  Ward's  Emolument :  but  as  to  my  turning  Private  Tutor  as  it  were 
— it  seems  to  me  so  inconsistent  with  my  office  (whatever  others  in  my  sit 
uation  may  think  of  it)  that  I  must  beg  to  be  excused.  But  I  repeat — That 
I  will  shew  Mr.  Custis  every  mark  of  care  &  attention,  and  see  that  his  other 
Teachers  shall  do  the  same. 

I  have  only  to  add,  that  I  wish  he  may  be  here  in  June, — as  we  do  not 
admit  pupils  when  absent. — that  I  beg  my  best  Respects  to  Col°.  Washing 
ton,  whom  I  shall  be  exceedingly  happy  to  wait  upon  in  New  York  (your 
self,  I  hope,  in  Company) — and  that  I  am,  Dr  Sr  Yr  An*  Friend 

and  very  obedfc  servant,  &c. 
M.  COOPER. 

I  hope  you  will  have  patience  with  me — at  present  I  suffer  much  by  a 
severe  fit  of  the  gravel. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 
Dear  Sir>  CAROUSE,  2  April,  1770. 

I  felt  so  strongly  the  Truth  of  your  Remarks,  that  I  took  shame  to  my 
self  for  having  reduc'd  you  to  so  distressing  a  Dilemma.  Believe  it,  how 
ever,  sir,  that  it  was  Necessity,  &  not  Inclination,  that  urged  me  to  the 
step,  which  yet  I  sh'd  hardly  have  taken,  at  last,  cou'd  I  have  supposed  the 
circumstances  of  Mastr  Custis's  Esta  to  have  been  as  you  represent  Them. 

I  have  now  the  Pleasure  to  inform  you,  that  I  trust  my  present  Difficul 
ty  will  be  surmounted,  withfc  laying  my  Friends  under  a  contribution.  I 
am  almost  sure  it  will,  if  Mr.  Claiborne  will  only  be  punctual  in  paying 
his  £50,  which  I  was  Security  for.  A  Debt,  of  long  standing,  &  which  I 
had  almost  despair'd  of,  fortunately  for  me,  has  just  been  paid :  &  This,  with 
some  collections  I  have  made  from  the  Esta  of  a  deceased  Friend,  on 
wh  I  administered,  have  enabled  me  to  make  up  my  Sum  of  £230.  this 
last,  indeed,  was  an  Expedient  I  very  unwillingly  had  Recourse  to ;  but  I 
now  learn  by  Experience,  that  real  Distress  is  very  effectual  in  teaching 
a  man  to  get  the  Better  of  certn  delicate  Qualms  of  conscience — &  let 
This  teach  me  to  view,  wth  candor,  the  Peccadillos  of  others  in  similar  cir 
cumstances.  I  purpose  replacing  This  with  what  I  am  to  receive  of  you  on 
Mastr  Custis's  ace1,  &,  therefore,  if  not  highly  inconvenient  to  you,  wou'd 
this  year  prefer  a  Bill  to  Cash,  and  shou'd  I  again  be  obliged  to  call  on 
you  before  it  is  due,  as  I  hope  I  shall  not,  I  natter  myself  with  being  again 
excused. 

Might  not  your  proposed  Improvement  of  ye  Navigan  of  the  Potomac  to 
the  W:ward  be  accomplished  on  some  such  Plan  as  This  ? — I  mean  by  ob- 
taing  an  Act  of  Assembly,  empowering  certn  Commissioners  therein  named, 
to  borrow  the  Sum  supposed  to  be  wanted  at  a  high  Interest  (suppose  10 
pr  cent)  &  this  Interest  to  be  rais'd  fm  a  Tax  proportioned  thereto,  on  all 
ye  vessels  makg  Use  of  sd  Naviga11?  Or,  if  ye  Navigan  w(1  bear  it,  wh  tho' 
prhaps  it  might  not  at  first,  yet,  undoubtedly  it  soon  would,  might  not  this 
Tax  be  rated  so,  as  to  produce  a  considerable  Surplus,  enough  not  only  to  sink 
the  original  Loan,  but  to  raise  a  Fund  for  still  farther  Improvem15.  Are 
not  some  of  the  canals  in  Engld,  &  ye  Turnpikes  on  this  System?  &,  if  I 
mistake  not,  the  very  grand  canal  now  carrying  on  in  Scotland  is  so  too. — 
You  doubtless  have  heard  long  ago  wl  was  done  on  this  matter  by  the 
Maryland  Assembly;  but,  as  I  fear,  f m  yr  ace1  of  Things,  our  Assembly 
wd  not  easily  be  persuaded  to  advance  any  cash  towards  the  scheme,  tho'  I 
can  have  no  immediate  Interest  in  it,  I  sd  be  grieved  so  beneficial  a  Pro 
ject  shou'd  be  dropp'd. 


16 

I  guess  my  Friend  Mr  Addison  met  with  some  Difficulties  in  ye  Bar 
gain  he  pro[mised]  to  make  for  me,  as  I  have  never  heard  from  Him,  nor 
about  the  Boy. 

Custis  who,  as  well  as  myself,  is  but  just  return'd  from  a  Trip  I  took 
Him  into  Richmond  County,  is  gone  to  write  to  his  Mamma,  to  whom,  & 
to  Miss  Custis,  with  many  thanks  for  the1'  obliging  Helps  to  my  Garden,  I 
beg  my  affectionate  compliments.  I  am  &c. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

CAROLINE,  9  May,  1770. 
Sir, 

There  are  some  particular  Circumstances  in  my  affairs,  at  this  Juncture, 
which  make  me  desirous  to  know  your  &  Mrs.  Washington's  final  Resolu 
tion  respecting  Mr.  Custis's  visit  to  Europe.  Should  you  think  it  advisa 
ble  for  Him  to  go,  &  I  be  thought  a  proper  person  to  accompany  Him,  I 
still  am  willing  to  do  it,  &  on  Terms  which,  I  can  hardlv  think,  you  will 
judge  unreasonable. — I  do  not  mean  to  take  upon  me  to  advise  you  in  the 
matter ;  yet,  I  cannot  help  giving  it  you  as  my  opinion,  that,  from  what  I  know 
of  Him,  Travelling  will  be  of  peculiar  Service  to  Him.  And,  as  he  is  now 
advancing  fast  to  that  period  of  Life,  much  the  most  hazardous,  this  Ex 
pedient,  if  ever  adopted  at  all,  should  be  resolved  on  early,  and  put  in 
Execution,  at  least,  in  two  years  from  this  Time.  The  Expecta11  of  it  will 
engage  his  Attention,  &  divert  Him  from  what  I  think  a  very  wrong 
System,  tho'  a  very  common  one,  with  the  Youth  of  Virginia;  it  is  to  be 
hoped  too,  that  it  will  stimulate  Him  to  pursue  his  Studies  with  greater 
Earnestness,  when  he  recollects  how  often  He  must  be  put  to  the  Blush, 
if  he  appears  illiterate  amongst  Men  of  Letters,  into  whose  Company,  in 
Travelling,  He  will  often  fall. 

Surely,  it  will  not  be  thought  that  I  can  possibly  have  any  interested 
views  in  this  matter.  It  is  true,  indeed,  I  wish  to  revisit  my  native  Coun 
try;  and  I  have  too  a  strong  inclina"  to  see  the  difffc  parts  of  the  world. 
In  point  of  Prudence,  however,  I  believe  it  were  better  for  me  to  remain 
contented  as  I  am ;  I  consider  it  in  this  Light,  that  I  am  unconnected  in 
the  world,  with  no  very  violent  Passion,  but  that  of  increasing  my  slender 
stock  of  knowledge,  which  I  persuade  myself  I  shall  most  effectually 
accomplish  by  a  Tour  thro'  those  Countries  where  Arts  &  Sciences  have 
been  most  successfully  cultivated.  These,  believe  me,  are  all  the  interested 
motives  I  feel  the  Influence  of ;  &  if  I  have  either  heretofore  or  now,  re 
commended  it  to  Mr.  Custis  to  travel,  it  was  from  a  full  conviction  how 
necessary  &  how  useful  it  wd  be  to  Him.  I  have  many  Reasons  for 
this  opinion,  some  of  which,  I  believe,  are  not  unknown  to  you. 

Happening,  at  present,  to  be  a  good  deal  hurried,  I  have  only  Time  to 
add,  that  I  wou'd  by  no  means  have  mentioned  this  matter  to  you  now,  had 
not  my  own  affairs  required  it;  &  that  I  can  never  consent  to  his  leaving 
Virga,  unless  He  is  first  innoculated,  which  therefore  should  be  resolved  on 
as  soon  as  ever  you  can  be  advis'd  of  a  good  opportunity. 

I  beg  my  respectful  Compts  to  Mrs.  Washington  &  Miss  Custis,  &  am, 
very  truly  &c. 

P.S.  I  have  shown  Jack  what  I  have  wrote,  and  desir'd  Him  to  think 
of  the  Project  calmly  &  coolly,  &  then  sit  down,  &  write  you  fully  his 
own  sentiments  on  the  Subject.* 

*  "Washington's  answer  to  this  letter  is  printed  in  my  Writings  of  Washington,  II., 
277.  On  May  20th  Washington  noted  in  his  Diary,  "  Breakfasted  at  Mr  Boucher's." 


17 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ST.  MARY'S,  21  May,  1770. 
Sir, 

So  hurried  as  you  know  me  to  be  at  present,  I  flatter  myself  you  will 
not  even  now  expect  more  of  me  than  the  Outlines  of  a  Plan  of  Travelling  ; 
the  filling  it  up  may  be  the  work  of  further  Leisure,  &  maturer  Considera 
tion.  And,  as  I  have  nothing  to  lay  before  you,  but  mere  conjecture  & 
opinions,  unsupported  by  any  Experience  of  my  own,  let  me  again  have 
Leave  to  remind  you  not  to  pay  any  greater  Deference  to  These,  or  to  any 
Opinions,  than  They  are  found  fairly  to  deserve.  It  is  a  Project  of  suff* 
Importance  to  warrant  yr  collectg  ye  Opinions  of  all  who  may  be  suppos'd 
to  have  ever  attended  to,  or  tho't  of  the  matter. 

Travelling,  you  are  well  aware,  is  still  &  long  has  been  much  in  Vogue 
in  our  Mother  Country ;  yet  has  it  so  frequently  been  attempted  &  ex 
ecuted  in  so  absurd  &  preposterous  a  manner,  that  it  is  now  become  a 
Question  whether  it  be  really  useful  or  not.  And  as  warm  an  advocate 
as  I  profess  myself  for  this  method  of  completeg  an  Educan,  I  yet  readily 
own  that  it  is  only  some  Persons  to  whom  Travelling  can  possibly  be  use 
ful,  &  that  there  are  perhaps  equally  many  to  whom  it  wd  certainly  be  per 
nicious.  The  light,  giddy,  fantastical,  frothy&  frivolous  characters  amongst 
us,  wd  only  be  made  worse,  &  rendered  incurable;  but  let  sedentary  men 
talk  as  much  as  they  please  of  ye  Loss  of  Time,  ye  Expence,  &  ye  un 
settled  &  roving  Habits  acquired  by  Travel,  to  me  it  is  beyond  a  Dispute, 
that  an  observant  mind,  &  to  a  Person  endowed  wth  Judgment  to  draw 
profitable  knowledge  fm  ye  various  objects  wh  various  Countries  are  per 
petually  present8,  there  is  not  anor  so  eligible  a  System  to  be  taken  to  form 
&  polish  ye  manners  of  a  liberal  Youth,  &  to  fit  Him  for  ye  Business  & 
Conversa11  of  ye  world.  And  if  you  will  be  pleased  to  apply  this  Remark 
to  some  living  Instances  to  be  met  with  even  here,  I  am  mistaken  if  it  will 
not  account  for  that  Objec11  so  often  started  by  the  Opposers  of  this  Plan, — 
that  such,  &  such  an  one  have  travelled  without  being  any  better  for  it. 
Depend  upon  it,  they  were  either  originally  unfit  for  the  Experiment,  or  it 
has  been  conducted  on  wrong  Principles.  Let  this  be  sd  with*  any  sus 
picion  of  my  aimg  to  reflect  on  any  Individuals;  the  Reflection  is  not  con 
fined  to  Virginia.  But  there  is  a  certn  captiousness  in  some  of  yr  Coun-  ' 
trymen,  wh  I  cannot  but  lament,  tho  I  very  freely  pardon  as  being  but  ye 
Ebullitions  of  Zeal  for  thr  Country,  wh  will  hardly  allow  a  Foreigner  (& 
such  I  must  be  called,  in  spite  of  my  sincere  attachrn*  to  Virga  &  Vir 
ginians)  to  find  Fault  with  any  Thing  belonging  either  to  Them  or  to  their 
Country.  But,  as  I  am  well  convinced  this  is  not  ye  Case  wth  you,  I  return 
to  my  subject.  J 

It  being  then  agreed,  at  least  by  you  and  me,  that  generally  speaking, 
travelling  is  useful  &  necessary,  to  young  Persons  in  all  Countries,  let 
us,  as  more  immediately  interesting  us,  now  more  particularly  enquire,  if 
it  be  not  particularly  so  to  a  Virginian  and  to  Mr.  Custis.  The  peculiar 
advantages  wh  result  to  youth  from  Travel,  are  sd  to  be  first,  an  easy  ad 
dress,  ye  wearing  off  of  national  Prejudices,  &  ye  find8  noth8  ridiculous  in 
national  Peculiarities;  &,  above  all,  that  supreme  accomplishment  wh  we 
call  a  Knowledge  ofye  World,  a  science  so  useful  as  to  supersede  or  dis 
grace  all  ye  Rest  :  for  I  understand  not  ye  Phrase  in  ye  Sense  in  wh  Fops  or 
Rakes  use  it,  but  mean  by  it  that  easy,  that  elegant,  that  useful  knowledge, 
wh  results  fm  an  enlarged  observan  of  Men  and  Things,  F1  an  acquaintance 
wtb  ye  customs  &  Usages  of  various  &  distant  Countries,  fm  some  Insight 


18 

into  their  Policies,  Governm1,  Religion  &  Manners;  in  a  word,  fm  ye 
study  &  Contemplan  of  men,  as  They  present  Themselves  on  ye  gr*  stage 
of  ye  World,  in  various  Forms,  &  under  diff1  Appearances.  This  is  that 
Master  Science  which  every  G — man  shd  know,  &  wh  yet  no  School  nor 
College  can  teach  Him.  To  apply  this  to  ye  Country  we  live  in,  where 
will  you  point  out  to  me  another  so  circumscrib'd  in  its  Intercourse  wto 
mankind  at  large,  as  Virga  ?  Saving  here  and  there  a  needy  Emigrant  from 
Ge  Britain,  an  illiterate  Captn  of  a  ship,  or  a  subaltern  Merch4,  to  whom 
can  a  Virga  Youth  apply  for  a  specimen  of  ye  manners,  &c.,  of  any  other 
People  ?  Thus  limited  in  ye  Oppty  for  Observan  must  not  his  Ideas  neces 
sarily  resemble  those  of  a  Caribbee  Indian,  mentioned  by  Lafitau,  who,  of 
fended  at  being  called  a  Savage,  exclaimed,  /  know  no  savages  but  the 
Europeans,  who  adopt  none  of  our  Customs;  or  those  of  ye  Inhabitants  of 
the  Marian  Islands,  who,  being  persuaded  that  theirs  was  ye  only  language 
in  ye  Universe,  concluded  from  thence  that  all  other  men  knew  not  how  to 
speak  ?  He  finds  his  Lot  cast  in  a  Country  amazingly  fertile,  &  thence 
learns  to  conclude  that  even  ye  rich  Plains  watered  by  ye  Nile,  the  Gre 
cian  Temple,  the  Roman  Campania,  the  Spanish  Andalusia,  are  all  mean 
and  contemptible  wn  compared  wth  his  low  Grounds;  &,  pursuing  this 
Train  of  Reasoning,  soon  supposes  also  like  the  Baron  of  Thonderton 
Tronck,  that  both  his  country  and  countrymen,  are  the  finest  of  all  possible 
Countries  &  People.  Now,  if  it  were  only  for  ye  sake  of  Truth  &  Decency, 
if  it  were  but  to  avoid  ye  Ridicule  to  wh  these  palpable  Absurdities  expose 
them,  one  cannot  but  wish  our  Youth  cd  be  taught  to  open  thr  Eyes,  & 
extend  them  beyond  their  own  foggy  air  &  dirty  acres.  But,  This  is 
not  all :  there  is  not  a  country  in  ye  World,  where  a  Man  of  capacity 
cd  be  more  eminently  useful  by  promotg  &  encouraging  ye  Arts,  than  in 
Virga.  Till  very  lately  you  cou'd  hardly  anywhere  see  a  piece  of  Land 
tolerably  plough'd,  or  a  person  who  cd  be  persuaded  that  plowing  made 
any  difference;  &  even  yet  it  is  more  than  probable,  even  Those  who 
have  made  the  greatest  Improvements  in  this  most  natural,  most  useful, 
&  most  amusing  Art,  fall  infinitely  short  of  some  other  countries.  In  a 
political  View  then,  Travelling  appears  to  be  exceedingly  necessary  ;  since  a 
Man  may  thus  learn  to  double  the  Value  of  his  Estate. 

I  mention'd  too  ye  Improvemen*  of  Manners;  by  wh  I  mean  an  Ability 
for  ingenious,  manly  &  useful  Con  versa".  For  a  Traveller  who  makes  a 
proper  Use  of  his  opportunites,  will  be  all  of  a  piece,  &  return  as  polished  in 
mind  &  understanding,  as  in  his  Person.  To  this  it  is  frequently  objected 
yt  vvh  is  gained  in  Civility  &  Politeness,  is  lost  in  real  Goodness  &  Virtue, 
by  ye  various  temptg  scenes  of  vice  to  wh  a  youth  must  be  exposed  in  ye 
Course  of  his  Travels.  In  Ansr  to  This,  let  me  observe  that  there  are  some 
Tempers  who  cd  not  possibly  be  preserved  f™  ye  Taint  of  Vice,  even  wth  ye 
benefit  of  a  private  Educan.  Or  grant  it  were  practicable  to  retain  ye  Purity 
of  their  Morals  by  such  narrow  Regulans;  do  not  you  think  that  if,  by  this 
Means,  They  shd  chance  to  have  fewer  vices,  They  wd  also  have  fewer 
Excellencies?  And  it  shd  be  remembered  that  solitary  virtue,  however 
pure  and  immaculate,  is  but  imperfect  virtue  :  We  are  formed  for  society, 
&  ye  Business  of  ye  World  is  a  Duty  we  owe  to  society :  &  it  is  therefore 
our  Duty  to  qualify  ourselves  for  ye  performance  of  these  Duties  in  ye 
best  manr,  wh  is  by  prudent  &  well-conducted  Travel. 

Let  us  now,  if  you  please,  as  a  contrast  to  This,  for  a  moment  figure  to 
ourselves  future  History  of  our  pupil,  shd  this  Expedient  not  be  approved  of. 
The  chief  failings  of  his  character  are  that  He  is  constitutionally  somewhat 


19 

too  warm — indolent  &  voluptuous.  As  yet  these  Propensities  are  but  in  em- 
brio  :  ere  long,  however,  they  will  discover  Themselves,  &  if  not  duly  and 
carefully  regulated,  it  is  easy  to  see  to  what  They  will  lead.  At  best,  He 
will  soon  lose  all  Relish  for  mental  Excellence.  He  will  unwillingly  ap 
ply  to  any  Improvemts  either  in  Arts  or  Sciences.  Sunk  in  unmanly  sloth,  his 
Estate  will  [be]  left  to  ye  managemfc  of  some  worthless  Overseer ;  &  him 
self  soon  be  entangled  in  some  matrimonial  adventure,  in  wh  as  Passion  will 
have  much  to  say,  it  is  not  very  likely  Reason  will  be  much  listened  to.  I 
appeal  to  you,  sir,  if  this  ace*  be  exaggerated ;  &  if  it  be  not  sadly  veri 
fied  by  many  living  Instances  y*  have  fallen  under  yr  own  Observa11. 

The  Contrast  is  so  striking  to  me,  at  least,  it  seems  so,  that  I  cannot 
think  it  possible  for  any  one  to  hesitate  a  moment  in  determing.  Let  me 
then  hasten  just  to  repeat  wh.  I  yesterday  mentioned  to  you  of  ye  man 
ner  in  wh.  I  cou'd  wish  my  scheme  to  be  executed.  In  the  first  Place  then, 
I  wou'd  have  Him  make  the  Tour  of  N.  America,  at  least  ye  Northern 
Colonies,  wh.  might  very  well  be  done  in  six  months.  And  this  chiefly  to 
avoid  ye  absurdity  of  going  so  far  to  get  acquainted  wth  other  Countries,, 
ere  He  knew  any  Thing  of  his  own.  After  this,  He  shd  go  to  Engld., 
&  there  immediately  be  enter'd  in  one  of  ye  Universities,  not  so  much  f1". 
any  Prospect  of  advantages  to  be  gain'd  by  study  in  ye  little  Time  He  cd. 
stay  there ;  as  that  it  would  be  by  much  the  safest  Place  for  Him.  After 
a  winter  or  so  spent  there,  He  shou'd  be  conducted  thro'  ye  principal  coun 
ties  &  Towns  of  the  three  kingdoms,  which  wou'd  possibly  take  up  nearly 
a  year.  After  this,  He  might  conveniently  spend  six  months  in  the  me 
tropolis,  &  from  thence  set  out  on  his  Tour  thro'  some  of  ye  principal  coun 
tries  on  ye  continent,  wh.  He  shd.  travel  tho'  not  as  a  virtuoso  to  collect 
Rarities,  or  as  a  connoisseur,  to  gaze  at  excellent  pictures  or  magnificent 
Buildings,  but  rather  like  a  Really  sensible  &  sentimental  Traveller,  such 
as  Horace  intimates  Ulysses  was,  who  travell'd  thro'  many  cities  to  see 
ye  manners  of  many  men. — These  are  the  Outlines  of  my  Plan,  which 
however  I  no  otherwise  recommend  to  you,  than  as  my  first  thoughts, 
wh.  I  shall  be  proud  to  see  improv'd  by  yrself  or  others.  The  Expence  of 
the  undertaking  yet  remains  to  be  spoken  of,  in  estimating  of  which,  I  am 
even  more  at  a  Loss  than  in  what  I  have  heretofore  mentioned.  However, 
as  I  had  much  rather  have  my  Judgm1.  called  in  Questn.  than  my  Inclina11 
to  comply  with  every  Request  of  yours,  I  hesitate  not  to  give  you  my 
Opinion  such  as  it  is.  I  cannot  then  believe  that  it  can  possibly  be  ex 
ecuted  in  any  such  manner  as  you  wd.  wish,  or  as  it  ought,  for  less  than 
£1000  sterlg.  pr.  ann:  if  so  little;  which  I  calculate  in  this  manner.  It 
cannot  be  tho't  unreasonable  that  my  appointing  if  finally  I  shd.  be  pitch'd 
upon  to  accompany  Him,  shd  at  least  be  equal  to  w*  I  relinquish  here;  as  I 
take  not  into  ace*  ye  Injury  I  may  thus  eventually  do  to  my  future  Pros 
pects  in  Life,  since  This  I  think,  ought  to  be  charged  to  ye  Pleasure  I  pro 
pose  to  myself  fm  ye  scheme.  This  then  I  set  down  at  £250;  my  Expences 
&  those  of  a  serv*  &  a  pr  of  Horses,  at  as  much  more :  His  own,  &  serv* 
&c.  at  £250 — the  remaining  £250  I  allot  to  cloathg  Him,  &  sundry  other 
unforeseen  Expeuces,  such  as  Purchasn8  Curiosities,  visitg  public  Places, 
&c.,  &c.  For  aught  I  know,  this  may  be  too  much — tho'  I  hardly  think  it 
is :  shou'd  it  be  so,  as  I  know  his  circumstances,  it  shd  be  my  study  to  pro- 
porn  his  Expenses,  as  far  as  they  possibly  could,  to  his  Income.  And 
whoever  be  his  Precepter,  shd  have  it  strictly  in  Charge  punctually  to  ren 
der  you  a  faithful  ace*  of  every  Disbursem*,  that  so  you  might  have  it  in  yr 


20 

Power  to  subject  Him  to  whatever  new  Regula118  you  might  judge  expe 
dient. 

I  am  much  ashamed  to  lay  before  you  so  confused  &  ill-digested  a  Letter, 
wh  I  beg  you  to  impute  to  my  Hurry,  &  my  being  constantly  interrupted 
by  company :  If,  however,  you  can  only  collect  from  it  ye  substance  of  my 
Plan,  &  if  that  only  appears  tolerably  plausible  to  you,  I  am  not  very  anx 
ious  for  ye  rest,  relying  so  entirely  as  I  do,  on  yr  Candor  to  excuse  any  In 
accuracies  you  may  meet  with  in  wh  I  have  wrote.  This  only  I  have  to 
request  of  you,  that  wn  you  consult  any  of  yr  Friends  on  this  matter,  you 
will  be  so  good  as  not  to  produce  this  Letter,  which  tho'  I  am  not  afraid  to 
trust  you,  I  am  yet  unwilling  sh  be  perused  by  strangers. 

As  to  Mr.  Custis's  living  wth  me  in  Annapolis,  shou'd  I  resolve  to  remove 
thither,  as  I  suppose  I  shall,  I  have  not  anything  to  add  to  w11  I  yesterday 
told  you.  I  purpose  calling  on  Mrs.  Washington  in  my  way  to  Maryland, 
&  shall  then  request  Her  immediately  to  write  to  you  her  sentiments,  so 
that  I  shall  hope  to  be  obliged  wth  your  final  Resolution  before  I  leave  An- 
naps,  which  will  hardly  be  before  the  middle  of  next  month.  I  am  &c.* 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  18  August,  1770. 
Sir, 

Jack  comes  a  Day  or  two  sooner  than  I  intended,  in  Consequence  of  an 
Invitation  from  Mr.  Galloway,  &  Mr.'  Magowan  to  go  to  West  River,  which 
he  does  this  day.  He  brings  you  some  samples,  which  I  hardly  expect  will 
please.  Mr.  Anth°.  Stewart  has  a  Cargo  just  arriv'd,  not  yet  opened,  in 
which,  He  says,  are  Assortmts  of  Coating :  shou'd  you  rather  incline  to 
wait  for  a  choice  out  of  These,  if  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  give  me  yr  Di 
rections,  I  will  endeavour  to  attend  to  them. — Their  common  Rate  of  sell 
ing,  for  ready  money,  is  at  100  pr  cent,  which  I  think  is  cheaper  than  with 
you.  A  Vessel  will  clear  out  from  hence  for  London,  in  abl  a  week  or  ten 
Days.  I  will  be  careful  of  any  Letters  you  may  want  to  put  on  Board. 

They  are  still  going  on  wth  thr  subscript11  for  clearg  ye  Potomac,  &,  as  I 
am  told,  wth  spirit.  Four  hundred  pounds  are  subscribed  in  this  City;  nor 
have  They  yet  got  all  They  expect.  Messrs.  Jacques  &  Johnson  set  off 
for  Frederick  tomorrow,  &  talk  of  fixing  a  Day  for  a  general  meeting,  be 
fore  they  return.  Will  it  be  convenient  and  agreeable  to  you  to  attend 
about  a  month  hence,  if  you  have  notice  in  Time — at  the  spot,  i:  e:  at,  or 
near  Semple's  ? 

Dr.  Ross  yesterday  shew'd  me  a  Letter  He  had  just  receiv'd  from  Crog- 
han  at  Pittsburg,  which  informs  Him  that  a  new  Government  is  certainly 
determin'd  upon  in  that  western  world — &  that  either  Coll :  Mercerf  or 
one  Mr.  Wharton  are  to  be  appointed  Governor.  He  speaks  of  its  Boun 
daries  &c.  wth  Certainty,  as  a  Matter  of  Fact.  Have  you  heard  of  it — & 
the  Particulars?  It  will  be  an  immence  acquisition,  if  not  immediately  to 
the  Wealth,  certainly  to  the  Strength  of  these  Governments — &  a  fine  Field 
for  a  project8  spirit  to  adventure  in.  I  am  &c. 

*  A  letter  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  dated  30  July,  1770,  is  piinted  in  my  Writ 
ings  of  Washington,  II.,  283. 
f  Col.  George  Mercer,  connected  with  the  Ohio  company. 


21 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  1  October,  1770. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  much  wisli'd  to  have  accompany'd  Jack,  but  cannot:  &  what  is  worse, 
we  part  on  an  Uncertainty,  which  may  be  disagreeable.  I  have  some 
Thoughts  for  setting  off  for  S*.  Mary's  this  week ;  &  if  I  do  get  away,  I 
can  hardly  expect  to  return  again  till  I  remove  finally,  which  cannot  well 
be  sooner  than  the  latter  end  of  next  month,  so  that,  if  I  do  not  come  by 
Mount  Vernon,  Jack  needs  not  come  hither,  till  you  or  He  hear  from  me 
again. — A  quondam  schoolfellow  of  Jack's  wrote  to  me  last  week  to  apply 
to  Dr.  Stepheiison  of  Baltimore,  to  take  Him  to  be  inoculated.  I  have 
done  so ;  &  at  ye  same  Time  mentioned  Custis  to  Him.  He  seem'd  partic 
ularly  desirous  of  having  an  opportunity  of  testifying  his  Esteem  for  you 
by  shewing  civilities  to  any  person  connected  with  you.  And,  cou'd  you  by 
any  means  resolve  on  this  measure,  I  cannot  but  think  the  present  a  favour 
able  Time,  as  there  are  now,  or  soon  will  be,  many  of  his  acquaintances 
there  on  the  same  Errand. 

Probably,  ere  long,  you  will  find  out  that  He  has  lost  his  watch ;  &  He 
deserves  to  be  severely  reprimanded  for  his  carelessness.  1  have  the  watch, 
but  do  not  care  soon  to  put  him  out  of  Pain. 

I  heartily  wish  you  an  agreeable  Tour  thro'  yonder  Tramountain  Re 
gions,  &  am,  very  truly  &c.* 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  18  December,  1770. 
Sir, 

I  thank  you  much  for  your  Intimations  respecting  Master  Custis.  Were 
all  those  who  have  the  Care  &  Direction  of  children  as  attentive  to  their 
real  Interests,  we  should  not  have  so  many  Complaints  of  children  spoil'd 
by  parental  Indulgence. 

It  is  not  without  much  Concern  I  own  to  you,  that  your  sentimts  of  this 
young  Gentleman  have,  for  some  Time,  been  my  own.  I  have  observ'd  his 
growing  Passions  taking  this  unpleasiug  Cast,  without  the  Power  of  pre 
venting  it.  To  a  youth,  brought  up  in  the  calm,  easy,  &  rational  manner 
that  He  has,  the  ordinary  means  of  violent  Restraint  or  Controll,  wou'd,  I 
believe,  rather  defeat,  than  promote  a  Reformation.  The  system  we  set 
out  with,  that  of  tender  persuasion,  must  still  be  pursued  :  and  tho'  it  may 
not,  perhaps,  work  a  speedy  cure,  it  certainly  will  in  the  End.  I  consider 
his  rising  Passiows  as  some  little  streamlet,  swelling  by  successive  Showers, 
into  somethiug  like  a  Torrent :  you  will  in  vain  oppose  its  Course  by  Dams, 
Banks,  or  mounds :  &  the  only  certain  means  to  prevent  its  becoming  mis 
chievous,  is  to  lead  it  quietly  along  by  a  variety  of  canals,  lessening  its 
Force,  by  dividing  it.  There  are  but  two  cases  in  which  I  can  foresee 
much  real  Danger  to  this  young  gentleman;  &  if  He  can  be  preserved 
from  These  I  shall  not  be  greatly  apprehensive  as  to  others.  I  mean  his 
Love  of  Ease,  &  Love  of  Pleasure.  Pleasure  of  a  kind  exceedingly  un 
common  at  his  years.  I  must  confess  to  you  I  never  did  in  my  Life  know 
a  Youth  so  exceedingly  indolent,  or  so  surprisingly  voluptuous :  one  w'1 
suppose  nature  had  intended  him  for  some  Asiatic  Prince.  Against  these 
two  insinuating  &  most  dangerous  Foes  to  all  that  is  truly  valuable  in  a 

*  A  letter  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  dated  16  December,  1770,  is  printed  in  my 
Writings  of  Washington,  II.,  316. 


22 

character,  I  have  exerted  all  my  opposition :  and  I  trust  not  altogether 
without  success.  For,  in  a  contest  of  this  sort,  not  to  suffer  a  total  Defeat 
is  in  some  measure  to  gain  a-  victory.  There  is  a  Period  in  Life  when  these 
Passions  will  wage  a  war  with  Reason  ;  and,  if  you  can  but  keep  them  [at] 
a  stand,  perhaps  a  reasonable  man  will  be  contented.  It  could  not  be,  but 
that  at  one  Time  or  other  Mr.  Custis  must  have  been  introduc'd  into  Life, 
as  'tis  call'd  :  and  is  it  not  almost  too  much  to  expect  from  one  brought  up 
in  so  very  guarded  a  manner  as  He  has,  that  He  should  pass  the  fiery  Trial 
unhurt  ?  He  knows  even  now  extremely  little  of  the  various  Enjoyments 
of  social  Life;  &  yet  he  is  peculiarly  susceptible  of  them.  Is  it  not  better 
then,  think  you,  that  He  sh'd  be  suffer'd  occasionally  to  mix  in  Company, 
unreserved,  while  He  can  have  the  advantage  of  a  monitor  at  Hand,  even 
tho'  He  shou'd,  as  indeed  is  too  often  the  Case,  go  farther  than  one  wou'd 
wish  ?  It  is,  possibly,  a  misfortune  to  Him,  that  everywhere  much  notice 
is  taken  of  Him.  Whether  this  may  be  owing  to  his  Family,  his  Fortune, 
His  Manners,  or  his  connexions,  or  all  together,  I  will  not  now  enquire : 
But  this  is  certain,  that  tho'  I  am  often  pleas'd  with  it,  yet  is  it  the  source 
of  infinite  Disquietude  to  me.  It  is  here,  as  with  you:  He  has  many  invi 
tations  to  Visits,  Balls,  &  other  Scenes  of  Pleasure,  to  which  neither  you 
nor  I  can  refuse  his  going — more  especially,  if  we  go  ourselves.  Indeed,  I 
do  not  know  that  it  would  be  right  to  refuse,  even  if  good  manners  wou'd 
allow  it.  Yet  so  it  is,  He  seldom  or  never  goes  abroad  without  learning 
something  I  could  have  wish'd  Him  not  to  have  learn'd.  There  are  not, 
that  I  know  of,  more  idle  or  pleasurable  People  in  Annap8,  than  there  are 
in  any  other  Town  containing  an  equal  number  of  Inhabitants:  yet  some  how 
or  other  He  has  contriv'd  to  learn  a  great  Deal  of  Idleness  &  Dissipation 
amongst  them.  One  inspires  Him  with  a  Passion  for  Dress — Another  for 
Racing,  Fox  hunting  &c. — even  the  grave  Coll.  Sharpe,  you  see,  led  him 
to  talk  of  Guns  &  Rifles,  with  much  more  satisfaction  than  I  can  persuade 
Him  to  talk  of  Books,  or  literary  subjects.  In  Truth,  it  is  one  of  the  worst 
symptoms  that  I  know  of  in  Him,  that  He  does  not  much  like  Books :  & 
yet  I  have  been  endeavouring  to  allure  Him  to  it,  by  every  artifice  I  could 
think  of.  I  hop'd  that  cargo  of  Books  wou'd  have  done  it.  Let  me,  how 
ever,  do  Him  the  Justice  to  own,  that  He  has  labour'd  under  some  Disad 
vantages  in  this  Place:  my  late  unsettled  manner  of  Living  has  been  unfa 
vourable  to  Him.  He  dislik'd  the  House  we  lodg'd  at,  &  wth  some  Reason. 
I  cou'd  not  always  be  with  Him,  nor  He  always  at  his  Book;  &  at  such 
Times,  there  was  nobody  in  the  House,  with  whom  he  could  spend  a  leisure 
Hour  but  tolerably  agreeably.  Unluckily  too  there  lodged  a  youth  with  us, 
of  a  character  exactly  calculated  to  spoil  such  a  Lad  as  Custis,  He  is  sen 
sible,  wild,  volatile,  idle  &  good-natur'd.  You  will  know  that  I  allude  to  a 
son  of  Mr.  Sam  :  Galloway's.*  I  by  no  means  aim  to  reproach  the  young 
Gentleman,  whom  really  I  like  exceedingly  myself,  yet  can  I  not  help  giv 
ing  it  as  my  Opinion  that  He  has  done  your  Ward  more  Harm  than  He  or 
his  Family  can  easily  make  amends  for.  You  cannot  conceive  wth  w*  De 
light  Custis  wd  listen  to  his  droll  Tales,  &  accts  of  his  Pranks  at  school  in 
England. — There  is  another  Particular  too  which  perhaps  Discretion  wou'd 
bid  me  suppress,  but  which  1  think  I  cannot  honestly  conceal  from  you. 
Sam.  Galloway  has  also  a  Daughter,  young  &  pretty.  Out  of  Respect  to 

*  "I  congratulate  you  on  your  success  on  the  Falmouth  turf.  Our  old  acquaintance 
Sam1.  Galloway  retired  from  the  Alexandria  races,  and  from  the  pomp  and  vanities  of 
this  world  almost  in  the  same  instant — having  taken  his  departure  for  the  impervious 
shades  of  death  as  soon  as  he  got  home." — Washington  to  William  Fitzhugh,  11  No 
vember,  1785. 


23 

you,  as  I  suppos'd,  He  frequently  invited  Custis  to  his  House:  it  was  disa 
greeable  to  me  to  be  oblig'd  to  refuse  Him,  because  it  gave  offence ;  but  I 
believe  He  never  was  with  her  but  twice — once  when  I  was,  &  once  when  I 
was  not.  It  was  about  the  Time  of  the  Players  being  here.  Miss  Gallo 
way  came  to  Town.  Jack  has  a  Propensity  to  the  sex,  which  I  am  at  a 
Loss  how  to  judge  of,  much  more  how  to  describe.  I  observ'd  somewhat 
of  a  particular  attention,  exceeding  bare  civility  to  this  young  Lady.  I 
took  such  steps  as  I  judged  most  likely  to  wean  Him  in  Time — and  it  was 
done,  I  believe,  effectually.  I  am  asham'd  to  add,  because  it  is  but  a  mere 
conjecture  of  my  own,  &  imparted  to  you  in  great  confidence,  that  I  cou'd 
not  help  thinking  this  gave  some  Disgust  to  the  Family.  I  wou'd  not  will 
ingly  suspect  People  without  Cause:  but,  however  absurd  &  foolish  such  a 
Project  must  have  been,  were  I  to  give  you  a  Detail  of  all  my  Reasons,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  you  wou'd  think  as  I  do.  I  am  mistaken,  if  you  or 
Mrs.  Washington  have  not  also  had  an  opportunity  given  you  of  penetra 
ting  thro'  such  a  Design.  There  are  here,  besides  me,  who  think  them 
capable  of  it;  tho'  I  do  not  know  that  there  are  any,  besides  myself,  who 
have  suspected  them  in  this  Instance.  But  be  my  suspicions  well  or  ill- 
founded,  I  have  very  peremptorily  refused  an  importunate  application,  re 
peatedly  made  to  me  since  my  last  Return,  to  admit  this  sd  son  of  His  into 
my  Family. — Let  me  have  leave  to  request,  that  these  surmises  of  mine, 
which  perhaps  I  have  view'd  in  too  serious  a  Light,  may  never  transpire.  I 
can  hardly  need  to  say  to  you,  that  were  it  known,  I  shou'd  have  the  whole 
Family  on  my  Back. 

This  is  no  pleasing  Picture  of  his  Conduct  here:  nor  will  it  I  fear,  make 
you  much  in  Love  with  his  situation.  I  have  so  often  said  how  unwillingly 
I  shou'd  part  with  the  Boy,  that  I  am  afraid  of  being  suspected  of  selfish 
ness,  if  after  this,  I  still  advise  you  to  continue  Him.  Yet  I  do  advise  you, 
&,  if  I  know  my  own  Heart  aright,  with  the  most  cordial  &  disinterested 
sincerity.  As  I  have  already  observ'd,  he  is  now  arriving  fast  to  that  Time 
of  Life,  when  he  must  mix  with  mankind :  This  He  can  nowhere  do  with 
out  Danger;  &  I  think  He  will  be  in  less  here,  than  almost  any  where  else, 
and  for  a  Reason  which,  did  I  not  well  know  your  Candor,  I  wou'd  hardly 
venture  to  assign.  Because,  I  believe,  there  is  not  (nor  is  it  likely  that 
now  there  ever  will  be),  another  Person,  who  has  such  Influence  over  him 
as  I  have.  I  hope  I  am  not  deceiv'd  in  the  persuasion,  that  he  has  a  very 
affectionate  Regard  for  me:  &  I  am  sure  I  can  have  no  motives  that  shou'd 
lead  me  to  wish  to  deceive  you,  in  assuring  you,  that  not  the  least  of  his 
actions  escapes  my  notice.  I  watch  his  every  motion,  &  tho'  he  is  perpetu 
ally  doing  something  or  other  displeasing  to  me,  yet,  upon  the  whole,  I  still 
hope  &  believe,  he  will  turn  out,  if  not  a  very  clever,  what  is  much  better, 
a  good  man.  That  he  may,  I  shall  not  cease  to  use  my  best  Endeavours, 
as  well  as  my  fervent  Prayers. 

I  am  aware  of  the  Expensiveness  of  his  living  here:  to  lessen  it  in  some 
measure,  I  have  resolved  to  return  his  Horses  back  to  you.  He  agrees  they 
shou'd  not  be  sent  to  Him  till  Easter  :  nor  then,  indeed,  unless  you  hear 
more  from  us.  Let  us  try  what  this  winter's  close  application  will  do :  We 
are  now  well  fitted  for  it,  &  I  think  have  a  prospect  of  spending  it  as  we 
ought.  Let  Joe  bring  back  all  his  vols :  of  Cicero,  Livy,  &  as  many  others 
as  his  Portmanteau  will  hold  :  as  well  as  a  small  Parcel  of  mine,  which  he 
brought  up  from  Mr.  Brook's,  when  we  last  came  from  St.  Mary's.  I  am  &c.* 

*  Some  letters  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  written  in  January  and  February,  1771, 
Will  be  found  in  my  Writings  of  Washington,  II.,  318-319. 


24 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  11  April,  1771. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  do  very  cordially  sympathize  with  Mrs  Washington  in  the  uneasiness  I 
can  easily  suppose  she  must  necessarily  be  under  during  this  State  of  sus- 
pence.  Her  son  was,  last  Monday  Ev'ning,  innoculated  in  Baltimore:  and 
tho'  there  really  be  in  his  Favour  Every  Thing  that  could  be  wish'd  for,  yet, 
I  know  she  will  be  anxious  &  impatient  till  it  be  over.  All  I  can  do  to 
ensure  Success  she  may  depend  on :  &  I  can  with  Truth  declare,  that,  at 
present,  there  is  but  a  bare  Possibility  of  his  having  it  unfavourable.  In 
Truth,  They  make  so  very  light  of  it  in  Baltimore,  that  one  is  almost 
ashain'd  even  to  mention  a  Suspicion  of  a  Possibility  of  Failure. — We 
went  up  on  the  Monday;  &  for  Fear  of  his  possibly  catching  it  in  the  natu 
ral  way,  I  had  Him  innoculated  immediately;  more  especially  as  Fie  was 
very  eager  for  it,  &  in  high  Spirits.  The  Pill  He  took  that  night,  made  him 
a  little  sick;  &  Joe  complain'd  that  His  [  ]  him  very  unmercifully. 

I  left  Him  yesterday  at  the  Doctor's,  where  every  Thing  seem'd  agreeable 
to  Him ;  &  purpose  being  with  Him  again  on  Monday,  as  his  Fever  will 
likely  be  a  coming  on,  on  the  Tuesday  or  Wednesday,  &  Eruption  on 
Thursday :  all  which  Time  I  will  be  there.  The  Doctor  promis'd  to  write 
to  you  as  you  requested.  And  should  any  Occasion  arise,  you  may  depend 
on  hearing  from  me,  ev'n  by  Express :  So  that,  if  you  do  not  hear  from  me 
to  the  Contrary,  Mrs.  Washington  may  rest  assur'd  all  is  well — as  I  give 
you  my  Word  and  Honour,  that,  if  there  be  ever  so  distant  an  appearance 
of  any  thing  unfavorable,  I  will  not  fail  to  communicate  it  to  you  immedi 
ately.  There  is  a  young  Gentleman  there  (and  but  one,  tho'  more  are 
daily  expected)  from  Northampton  County,  of  the  name  of  Savage;  a 
modest,  well-behav'd  man,  &  I  believe  the  Clerk  of  a  County  there.  He 
promised  to  be  a  Companion  to  Jack,  and  I  dare  say  will  be  an  acceptable 
one. 

If  any  Thing  should  be  the  matter  with  Him,  They  are  to  send  Express 
to  me ;  and  if  they  do,  I  shall  have  an  Oppty  of  letting  you  know  of  it  by 
the  Post — if  I  do  not,  conclude  all  is  well. — Shou'd  I  not  write  next  week 
from  Baltimore,  which  yet  I  intend  to  do,  be  not  uneasy. — This  will  be 
brought  to  you  by  Mr.  Templeman,  &  being  written  in  a  Hurry  in  a  crowded 
Store,  must,  I  fear,  be  confused.  All  I  aim  &  wish  is  to  make  you  &  Mrs. 
Washington  easy;  &  I  hope  you  will  be  so,  in  Confidence  that  if  there 
really  were  any  Appearance  of  Danger,  I  wou'd  not,  from  a  mistaken 
Tenderness,  conceal  it  from  you. 

I  beg  my  aff1  Compts  (as  Jack  also  did)  to  his  Mamma,  Sister,  yrself  & 
Mr.  Washington,  &  am  &c. 

NOTE. — Washington's  reply  is  wrongly  printed  in  our  Writings  of  Washington,  II., 
276,  as  having  been  written  20  April,  1770,  instead  of  on  the  same  date  1771.  The  copy 
sent  to  me  by  the  courtesy  of  Miss  Gutch,  Norton  House,  gave  1770  as  the  year. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  19  April,  1771. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  feel  much  Heartfelt  Satisfaction  in  having  it  in  my  Power  to  inform 
you  that  Mr.  Custis  is  now  out  of  all  Danger  of  the  Small  Pox,  in  Dr. 
Stephenson's  own  Phrase.  He  cannot  die  if  He  would.  I  have  been 


25 

with  Him  all  this  week,  &  shou'd  not  yet  have  left  Him,  but  that  I  knew 
you  wou'd  wish  &  expect  an  ace*, — &  I  cou'd  only  give  one,  by  com 
ing  down  hither,  to  catch  the  Post  that  sets  out  this  Ev'ning.  Yesterday 
when  He  left  Baltimore,  no  Pocks  had  appeared;  &  I  was  unwilling  to 
write  till  I  could  have  something  more  certain  to  say.  This  morning,  I 
found  three;  &  about  five  Hours  ago,  when  we  parted,  I  could  but  count 
Eight,  which  I  believe  will  be  his  whole  Number.  His  Fevers  began  on 
Monday,  &  were  sometimes  pretty  high ;  yet  never  so  much  so  as  to  con 
fine  Him  above  now  and  then  an  Hour  or  so  to  his  Bed.  In  short,  I  think 
I  have  now  seen  better  Authority  than  ever  to  say,  that  the  Small  Pox, 
in  this  artificial  manner,  is  really  nothing:  its  virulence  is  so  abated  & 
subdued,  that  I  now  no  longer  wonder  to  find  men  think  so  little  about  it 
as  they  do  in  Baltimore.  And  to  me,  the  whole  secret  seems  to  lie  in  keep 
ing  them  cool ;  Custis,  I  believe,  has  not  been  within  five  yards  of  a  Fire, 
since  he  went  to  Baltimore.  I  sh'd  wrong  him  not  to  add,  that  he  has 
been  exceedingly  manageable,  &  always  in  spirits ;  much  more  so  than  his 
Countryman,  Savage.  The  Doctor  bestows  many  encomiums  on  Him :  I 
believe  He  wou'd  hardly  have  had  one  Pustule,  had  not  the  Doctor,  at  my 
Request,  (for  I  thought,  tho'  in  Point  of  real  Usefulness,  it  seems  it  was  a 
Matter  of  no  kind  of  Consequence,  his  Mamma  wou'd  chuse  He  shou'd 
have  some)  given  Him  something  warm  to  provoke  Them  out.  Joe,  I 
fancy,  will  hardly  have  one ;  unless  the  same  means  try'd  this  morning  may 
bring  Them  out:  it  is  however,  quite  sufficient  that  the  Arm  is  enflam'd, 
and  that  He  has  had  the  Fevers.  Jack's,  as  I  remember,  are  one  on  his 
neck,  another  by  his  Ear,  one  on  his  Breast,  two  on  one  Arm,  and  one 
on  another,  and  two  on  one  Leg;  not  one  on  his  Face.  Ere  I  left  Him, 
his  Fever  was  quite  gone,  and  I  never  in  my  Life  saw  Him  better;  so  that 
I  cannot  but  congratulate  you  &  Mrs.  Washington  on  this  dreaded  affair's 
being  so  easily  &  happily  over. 

He  is  not  to  be  down  till  the  Monday  Sennight,  which,  I  guess,  will  be 
about  the  Time  of  your  setting  out  on  your  Trip  downwards. 

Dr.  Stephenson  desir'd  me  to  apologize  for  his  not  writing  to  you,  as 
being  very  busy,  and  not  having  any  Thing  very  particular  to  communicate. 
His  general  Price  is  two  Pistoles,  &  25/  a  Week  for  Board.  I  shall  have 
occasion,  next  Week,  to  write  more  fully  on  this  &  other  matters :  at  pres 
ent,  being  a  good  deal  fatigued  &  a  little  unwell,  I  beg  leave  only  to  add 
that,  I  am  &c. 

P.S.  Wheat,  in  yonder  busy  Town  I  have  just  left,  I  think  is  6/.  Some 
days  ago  'twas  6/3;  &  Flour,  16/.  You  know  they  have  112  Ibs.  to  the 
Cw*. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  3  May,  1771. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  have  seldom  found  myself  worse  disposed  to  write,  than  I  now  am ; 
being  exceedingly  displeased  with  Mr  Custis,  that,  according  to  my  express 
Desire  to  Him,  He  is  not  here  Himself,  to  write  &  put  both  yourself  and 
his  Mother  out  of  all  further  Anxiety  on  his  Account.  On  Saturday  last, 
He  sent  me  word,  he  would  come  down  on  the  Monday ;  but  the  Doctor 
being  of  Opinion  that  possibly  he  might  give  some  Alarm  to  the  People 
here,  advis'd  me  to  let  Him  remain  a  few  Days  longer.  I  did  so;  &  it 
having  happened  that  a  Mr  Gough,  a  Gentleman  of  iiank  &  Fortune,  of 


26 

his  Acquaintance  in  Baltimore,  was  to  be  married  either  Yesterday  or  to 
Day,  I  take  it  for  granted  He  has  been  prevail'd  upon  to  stay  on  that 
Account.  For  I  have  seen  a  Gentleman  of  Baltimore,  who  tells  me  He  was 
quite  well  on  Wednesday.  So  that  there  wants  nothing  but  Himself  to  say 
so,  to  put  every  Thing  out  of  Doubt.  Arid  This  being  the  Case,  I  guess 
you  will  continue  to  think  it  right  still  to  forbear  mentioning  it  to  Mrs. 
Washington,  till  the  next  Week,  when  (shou'd  He  not  have  wrote  you  from 
Baltimore,  as  I  hardly  dare  to  hope  He  has),  we  will  assuredly  both  write. 
In  the  mean  Time,  I  thought  it  wou'd  be  more  acceptable  to  you  to  have 
ev'n  this  imperfect  Ace1,  than  none  at  all.  I  am  &c. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  9  May,  1771. 
Dear  Sir, 

The  Season  of  Suspence,  I  thank  God,  is  now  over:  Mrs.  Washington, 
without  the  Fears  that  would  have  been  unavoidable  during  a  State  of 
uncertainty,  will  have  the  Pleasure  of  learning  from  undoubted  Authority, 
that  her  Son  is  happily  &  easily  releas'd  from  a  formidable  Disorder,  with 
out  hardly  one  Mark  to  tell  that  He  ever  had  it.  He  is  as  well  as  ever  He 
was  in  his  Life:  indeed  has  such  strong  Symptoms  of  Health,  as  we  almost 
find  it  inconvenient  at  this  scarce  Season  of  the  Year,  &  dear  Markets. 

A  Mrs.  Buckner  of  the  Parish  I  left  in  Virginia  gave  me  a  Power  of 
Attorney  to  settle  a  Law-Suit  she  had  won.  I  have  agreed  to  take  50£ 
this  Currency  for  her  Claim,  which  Money  is  to  be  paid  to  my  Order  this 
Week  in  Baltimore,  and  out  of  it,  I  have  ordered  my  Friend  there  to  pay 
Dr.  Stephenson's  Ace1,  as  well  as  some  other  little  Claims  Mr.  Custis  has 
left  there.  His  Ace*,  I  fear,  will  run  high,  as  I  see  They  have  charg'd  him 
at  the  Rate  of  10/  a  Week  for  the  Pasturage  of  his  Horses,  &  this  in  the 
Country;  which  I  have  refus'd  to  pay.  He  has  also,  very  idly  I  think, 
exchang'd  his  Gray  Horse,  for  a  large  clumsy  black  one,  and  is  to  give  <£4 
Boot. — Having  receiv'd  Nothing  from  my  Parish  here,  nor  indeed  being 
likely  soon  to  receive  any  Thing;  &  as  You  may  easily  conceive  that  I 
have  been  put  to  pretty  much  expence,  I  begin  to  find  it  difficult  to  find 
Cash  to  support  my  Family.  I  have  therefore  thought  of  desiring  the 
favor  of  you  to  pay  this  £50  Maryd  Curry,  in  your  Way  up  from  Wmsburg, 
on  my  account,  either  to  Coll :  Jno  Thornton,  or,  if  you  shou'd  not  chance 
to  see  Him,  to  Mr.  James  Maury,  a  Merch4  in  Fredericksbg.  I  hope  this 
will  not  be  inconvenient  to  you;  &,  after  paying  off  all  Custis's  Accts,  there 
will  not  be  very  much  left  for  me,  which  however  I'll  be  careful  to  ace1  for 
when  we  settle.  Exchange  here,  I  am  told,  is  at  66§,  which  will  regulate 
your  Paym*  of  this  Money. 

Sundry  Papers  have  been  put  into  my  Hands  by  a  Mr.  Harrison,  from 
some  Person  in  England,  attempting,  in  Consequence  of  an  Advertisem*  of 
yours  in  the  English  Papers,  to  prove  his  being  true  and  lineal  Heir 
to  —  —  Colville,  to  whom  I  think  you  were  left  Executor.  I  have 
promised  to  speak  with  you  on  the  Subject;  but  as  the  Papers  are  bulky, 
shall  for  bear  to  send  them,  till  your  Return  to  Mount  Vernon.  In  the 
mean  Time,  I  hope  They  will  not  be  excluded  from  their  Claim,  for  want 
of  asserting  it  in  due  Time.* 

*  It  was  the  estate  of  Thomas  Colville.  Dr.  G-.  Alder  Blumer,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  has 
reprinted  from  Archceologia  ^liana  some  curious  letters  on  Washington's  connection 
with  this  Colville  estate,  and  has  also  printed  the  Wills  of  the  Colvilles  in  full. 


27 

Mr.  Johnson  has  also  left  with  me  another  large  Cargo  of  Physic  for 
Miss  Custis ;  of  the  Efficacy  of  which  in  working  a  total  Cure,  He  seems 
unusually  confidant.  This  too  I  shall  not  send  till  you  return. 

A  Letter  for  you,  brought  by  a  vessel  to  this  Place,  I  take  the  Liberty 
of  directing  to  you  in  Williamsburg. 

You  will  not  wonder  that  I  request  to  know,  as  soon  as  it  may  be  in  your 
Power,  what  your  final  Determination  is  with  Respect  to  this  young  Gentle 
man's  going  Home.  On  his  Account,  it  were  better  to  have  it  certainly 
known :  &  on  my  own,  it  is  highly  necessary.  However  eager  my  Inclina 
tions  might  be  for  the  Scheme,  should  it  still,  after  mature  Deliberation, 
appear  to  yourself  &  your  Friends,  prudent  to  be  at  such  an  Expense,  I 
am  not  now  sure  it  would  be  in  my  Power  to  embrace  the  offer.  I  am  not 
indeed  sure  that  I  could  resist;  tho'  it  wou'd  certainly  be  highly  indiscreet 
in  me  to  turn  myself  once  more  adrift  into  the  wide  world,  without  first 
securing  to  myself  a  comfortable  Retreat.  And  I  have  not,  at  present, 
such  fair  Prospects  as  I  thought  I  had,  but  a  Week  ago.  There  is  a  Parish 
vacant,  not  twenty  Miles  from  Mount  Vernon,  where  I  shall  hardly  need  to 
say,  I  wou'd  rather  be  than  any  where  else  in  Maryland.  And  I  thought  I 
had  been  sure  of  it:  indeed  I  hope  I  still  am,  tho'  the  Governor  says  He 
expects  from  England  a  Schoolfellow  &  a  Relation  of  his  own  to  fill  it  up. 
If  this  Gentleman  does  not  come  in,  which  I  fear  may  not  be  known  for 
some  months  to  come,  I  think  I  shall  be  appointed  to  it.  And  if  I  am,  I 
flatter  myself  I  shall,  without  much  Difficulty,  be  able  so  as  to  settle  Mat 
ters  as  to  put  it  in  my  Power  to  pursue  this  favourite  Plan :  of  which,  how 
ever,  it  is  but  Justice  to  myself  to  own  that,  with  Respect  to  myself,  I  am 
not  nearly  so  anxious  as  I  have  been.  Life  wastes  apace,  &,  unmindful  of 
ye  silent  Lapse  of  Time,  I  have  already  trifled  away  but  too  great  a  Part 
of  it :  it  is  not  therefore  to  be  wondered  at  if,  in  my  cooler  moments  of 
Recollection,  I  wish  for  a  Settlement. 

I  beg  your  Pardon  for  all  this  Egotism,  uninteresting  to  you :  this  week 
or  two  I  have  not  been  very  well ;  &,  if  in  this,  &  my  former  letters,  I  have 
been  disagreeably  troublesome,  I  trust  you  will  be  so  obliging  as  to  impute 
it  to  that  Cause. 

If  it  be  at  all  inconvenient  to  you  to  pay  this  Money,  on  your  Way 
upwards;  or,  if  you  may  probably  stay  longer  than  June,  I  beg  you  to 
inform  me ;  as  I  can  then  fall  upon  some  other  Expedient.  I  will  also  put 
your  English  Letter  into  the  Post  Office  here,  &  hope  they  will  forward  it 
from  Alexandria,  without  any  fresh  Corn. 

I  beg  my  respectful  Compts  to  Mrs  Washington  &  Miss  Custis ;  &  am, 
Dear  Sir,  &c. 

Posey,  I  hear,  is  in  prison  bounds.* 

*  John  Posey,  who  a  few  days  later  wrote  to  Washington :  "  I  could  have  been  able 
to  satisfied  all  my  old  arrears,  some  months  agoe,  by  marrying  old  widow  woman  in 
this  County.  She  has  large  some  cash  by  her,  and  Prittey  good  Es*. —  She  is  as  thick, 
as  she  is  high,  and  gits  drunk  at  Least  three  or  foure  a  weak — which  is  Disagreeable 
to  me — has  viliant  Sperrit  when  Drunk — its  been  Great  Dispute  in  my  mind  what  to 
doe — I  beleave  I  shu'd  run  all  Kesks — if  my  last  Wife,  had  been  even  temper'd  women, 
but  her  Sperrit  has  given  me  such  Shock — that  I  am  afraid  to  Run  the  Kesk  again, 
Avhen  I  see  the  Object  before  my  eys  is  Disagreeable." — Queenstown,  25  May,  1771. 

A  Letter  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  dated  New  Kent,  19  May,  1771,  is  printed  in 
rny  Writings  of  Washington,  II ,  319  n.  Another  of  5  June,  1771,  is  in  the  same  volume, 


28 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  4  July,  1771. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  am  sorry  to  have  thrown  any  additional  Difficulties  in  your  Way, 
respecting  the  affair  of  Mr  Custis's  Tour.  At  the  Time  T  wrote,  Difficul 
ties  seem'd  to  be  starting  up  before  me,  which  I  fear'd  could  not  otherwise 
be  remov'd,  than  by  dropping  all  Thoughts  of  leaving  Maryland.  I  wish'd 
from  many  Motives,  to  accompany  Mr.  Custis :  it  was,  however,  as  you 
will  readily  allow  me  to  declare,  but  the  second  wish  of  ray  Heart, — my 
first  was,  that  I  might  be  independent.  After  what  1  had  already  experi 
enced,  it  wou'd  have  been  terrible  to  have  again  thrown  myself  into  the 
wide  world,  without  having  first  secur'd  a  comfortable  Retreat  to  return  to. 
And,  I  fear'd,  it  was  too  much  to  ask  both  a  competent  Living,  &  such  extra 
ordinary  Leave  of  absence.  I  have  now,  however,  the  very  high  Pleasure 
to  inform  you,  that,  with  respect  to  myself,  Things  are  much  altered ;  and, 
if  you  [will]  make  it  suitable  in  other  Respects,  I  am  willing  &  ready  to 
accompany  Mr  Custis,  on  the  proposed  Tour, — I  am  at  Liberty  to  add,  on 
this  Condition  only,  that  we  set  out  some  time  in  the  next  Year.  Contrary 
to  the  sentimts  of  my  friends,  who  thought  it  better  that  I  should  first  get 
my  Induction  into  the  Living  I  mentioned  to  you  in  my  Last,  ere  I  prom- 
is'd  to  make  this  other  Request  to  the  Govr,  I  resolv'd  openly  &  candidly 
to  lay  before  Him  my  real  Views ;  with  which  he  was  so  well  pleased,  as 
to  promise  me  the  Parish  so  soon  as  ever  it  was  in  his  Power,  &  also  Leave 
of  Absence, — for  one  Year  only  at  a  Time,  but  renewable:  an  Expedient 
He  is  obliged  to  use,  thro'  a  ffear  of  giving  Cause  of  offence  to  the  People 
here  so  unreasonably  jealous  of  any  Extension  of  Prerogative. — I  have 
had  much  Talk  with  Him  on  the  subject.  He  had  often  taken  a  particular 
notice  of  Mr.  Custis,  &  on  this  Occasion,  professes  a  strong  Desire  to  oblige 
Him,  and  you:  and,  it  may  be,  that  I  owe,  in  some  measure,  the  exceeding 
obligegnesse  He  shew'd  to  me  in  this  matter,  to  his  Desire  of  being  instru 
mental  to  the  promoting  a  scheme  He  so  highly  approves  of.  It  will 
be  in  his  Power  to  give  Mr  Custis  Letters,  which  may  be  very  useful  to 
Him ;  &  this  He  will  do  with  much  Pleasure.  In  short,  both  He,  and  Mr 
Dan  Dulany,  with  whom  also,  at  your  Request,  I  have  convers'd  on  the 
subject,  highly  approve  of  the  Project — in  Case,  Mr.  Custis's  Estate  will 
afford  it.  I  said,  I  believ'd  it  might  be  now  worth  £1000  or  1200  sterl^ 
pr  ann:,  which  Mr  Dulany,  judging  from  his  own  Experience  wth  his  own 
son,  thinks  abundantly  sufficient.  Yet,  he  says,  Experiences  in  Travel  are 
so  exceedingly  vague,  uncertain,  &  variable,  that  there  is  no  ascertaining, 
exactly,  what  may  be  the  proper  Allowance.  His  son  has  cost  Him  from 
£100  to  £1000.  In  Paris,  I  think,  He  says,  He  spent  £500  in  three 
months,  besides  the  salary  to  his  Tutor.  Upon  the  whole,  however,  He  is 
of  opinion,  that  one  year  with  another,  Mr.  Custis  can  hardly  need  to 
exceed  the  Income  of  his  Estate. 

In  debating  this  part  of  the  argum*,  it  deserves  no  little  Attention  to 
enquire,  how  much  of  his  annual  Income  He  would  probably  expend,  if 
He  should  continue  these  three  years  in  Virginia.  Living  with  you,  or 
under  your  immediate  Influence,  He  probably  wou'd  be  restrain 'd  within 
proper  Bounds ;  especially  as  I  do  not  think  He  naturally  is  of  an  expen 
sive  Turn.  But,  I  am  mistaken,  if,  with  the  most  rigid  Economy,  adapted 
to  his  Circumstances,  He  fell  much  short  of  what  it  will  cost  Him  at  Home, 
exclusive,  I  mean,  of  the  Expence  of  his  Tutor.  And  shou'd  he  unluckily 


29 

fall  into  the  Habit  of  dealing  in  Horses,  or,  but  in  a  very  moderate  Degree, 
sporting  as  it  is  called,  neither  of  which  He  could  well  avoid,  from  the 
general  Prevalence  of  Example,  I  need  only  direct  your  Eyes  to  many 
young  Gentleman,  of  fair  Hopes,  so  circumstanced,  to  convince  you,  that 
it  is  not  likely  to  be  much  more  costly  to  Him  to  spend  these  three  perilous 
years  abroad,  than  at  Home. — But,  what  a  Difference,  my  dear  sir,  in  the 
manner  of  spending  them,  &  in  the  Consequences  !  To  me,  it  is  so  very 
striking,  that  I  own  I  shall  sorely  lament  if,  with  your  very  proper  &  right 
sentiments  on  the  matter,  any  untoward  Circumstances  shou'd  yet  arise 
from  any  other  Quarter  to  prevent  it. 

I  have,  in  many  of  my  former  Letters,  already  said  so  much  on  the  subj* 
of  Travelling,  that  I  am  fearful  of  falling  into  Repetitions.  I  will  only  add 
now,  what  I  do  not  recollect  ever  before  to  have  mentioned,  that  it  is  more 
peculiarly  necessary  to  Him,  than  most  Youths  I  have  known.  He  has 
that  Placid  Indolence  of  nature,  Flexibility  of  Temper,  in  his  mind  &  man 
ners,  which  require  some  better  knowledge  of  ye  world,  than  He  is  likely 
here  to  acquire,  to  guard  him  against  ye  Consequences  of  too  much  Compli 
ance  &  Confidence  in  the  Generality  of  mankind. 

There  is,  to  a  delicate  mind,  much  force  in  some  specious  objections 
which  you  suppose  may  be  urged,  from  the  Consideration  of  your  being  but 
his  Guardian.  But,  they  vanish  at  the  approach  of  fair  Reasoning,  as  it 
were  at  the  Touch  of  IthuriePs  spear.  You  are  in  Duty  bound  to  promote 
Mr.  Custis's  Interest  by  every  means  in  your  power,  &  I  am  sure  it  is  not 
more  your  Duty,  than  it  is  your  Inclination.  If,  therefore,  both  yourself, 
and  every  other  cool,  dispassionate,  &  well-informed  Friend  be  fully  per 
suaded  that  thus  alone  you  will  most  effectually  promote  his  true  and  lasting 
Interest,  ought  you  to  be  deterr'd  by  the  vain  Fears  &  mistaken  Appre 
hensions  of  others  ?  At  this  Rate,  nothing  good  or  great  must  ever  be 
done  in  Life,  &  you  have  already  far  exceeded  your  Commission,  ev'n  with 
Regard  only  to  this  young  Gentleman.  I  reason  upon  this,  as  upon  ye 
other  Occurrences  of  Life.  I  wou'd  gladly  do  what,  upon  mature  Delibera- 
ation  &  fullest  Enquiry,  appear'd  to  be  my  Duty ;  and  if,  after  this,  mali 
cious  or  ignorant  People  wou'd  still  put  an  ill-natured  or  unfair  Construction 
on  my  well-meant  aims,  I  must  be  contented  to  bear  it,  as  I  do  the  other 
Ills  of  Life,  as  something  that  might  vex  me,  but  shou'd  not  make  me  very 
uneasy,  nor  unhappy. 

Upon  the  whole,  I  do  very  earnestly  wish,  and,  if  I  might  have  Leave,  I 
would  request,  that  this  matter  may,  as  soon  as  possible,  be  determined 
either  the  one  way  or  the  other.  The  next  spring,  if  I  recollect  aright,  is 
the.  ./Era  I  always  fix'd  on  for  setting  out ;  and  there  are  many  Reasons 
why  it  should  not,  and  not  one  that  I  can  recollect  why  it  should,  be  post 
poned  beyond  that  Period.  And,  to  me,  as  you  will  easily  believe,  it  must 
be  desirable,  as  well  indeed,  as  essentially  necessary,  to  know  what  is 
resolv'd  on,  as  soon  as  may  be.  My  little  affairs  will  require  some  Time 
to  put  them  into  such  a  Posture,  as  I  shall  wish  to  leave  them  in ;  and, 
I  suppose,  it  might  be  convenient  to  you  too,  to  know  certainly,  ere  you 
sent  home  this  year's  Invoice.  If  Mrs.  Washington,  &  yourself,  &  his 
nearest  Friends  approve  of  it,  there  is  little  Likelihood,  that  the  General 
Court  will  disapprove :  would  it  not  be  a  strange  Exertion  of  Power  if 
they  should?  Yet,  it  is  right,  they  should  be  consulted,  &  their  Consent 
obtained.  Govr  Eden  strongly  urges  the  Expediency  of  a  six  months'  Tour 
thro'  America  ere  he  cross'd  the  Atlantic:  it  is  certainly  right,  if  for  no 
other  Reason,  only  that  a  man  might  not  seem  totally  unacquainted  with 


30 

his  own  Country.  Is  it  quite  romantic  in  me  to  expect,  that,  possibly,  you 
might  find  Leisure  to  spend  a  few  months  in  our  Party?  April  or  May 
wou'd  be  about  the  Time  for  setting  out. 

I  am  much  coucern'd  at  your  apprehensions  of  Mr  Custis's  slender 
Improvements.  And,  to  shew  you  how  thankfully  I  receive  such  notices,  I  will 
not  deny,  that,  possibly,  there  may  be  some  Foundatio11  for  yr  fears,  &  that, 
morever,  some  part  of  ye  Blame,  possibly,  belongs  to  me.  I  will  go  farther, 
&  say  that  both  He  &  I,  as  the  K.  of  Prussia  said,  hereafter  will  do  better. 
]  this,  let  me  now  have  Leave  to  add  that  his  Improvements,  tho'  not 
equal  to  what  they  might  have  been,  are,  I  believe,  not  inferior  to  those  of 
any  other  young  gentleman  so  circumstanced.  Nay,  I  will  venture  to  say, 
He  is  a  better  scholar  than  most  of  his  years  &  standing.  He  is  not,  indeed, 
as  you  observe,  much  farther  advanced,  than  under  Mr  Magowan.  I  cou'd 
here  say  a  good  deal :  let  this  suffice,  that  I  hope  He  now  knows,  by  just 
principles,  what  heretofore,  he  had  acquir'd  by  Rote  only.  He  has  apply'd 
more  closely  of  late,  &  has  begun  Arithmetic  over  again  ;  &  on  his  Return, 
is  to  enter  upon  French.  There  is  a  Deal  of  Difference  to  be  observed  in 
ye  Educatg  a  Gentleman,  &  a  mere  scholar. 

You  will  receive  Physic  from  Mr  Johnson,  &  enclos'd,  his  Directions,  as 
well  as  Dr.  Stevenson's  rec*  &  mine.  And  the  papers,  respect8  ye  Claim 
to  Colville's  Esta,  of  wh  I  beg  yr  Care,  as  well  as  that  you  will,  when  in 
yr  power,  direct  me  what  ansr  to  return  to  ye  man,  who  put  them  into  my 
Hands  for  you.  I  am  &c. 

In  the  Hurry  of  writing,  I  had  well  nigh  forgot  a  Commission  a  Friend 
gave  me  to  you.  Mr  Lloyd  Dulany  of  this  city  is  going  to  the  springs  this 
season.  He  understands  you  have  a  House  there — if  unoccupy'd  &  unen- 
gag'd,  He  wd  be  much  oblig'd  to  you  for  Leave  to  make  use  of  it. 

I  saw  Coll.  Cressap  yesterday.  He  seems  quite  confident  the  new  Grant 
will  take  Place,  &  is  taking  his  Measures  accordingly.  Govr  Eden  hears, 
that  many  of  ye  Regulators  have  pass'd  thro'  this  Province,  &  is  surpriz'd 
Govr  Tryon  has  not  sent  Expresses  to  the  sundry  Govrs,  on  ye  supposi11 
that  they  would.* 

John  Parlce  Custis  to  Col.  George  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  18  August,  1771. 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  am  exceedingly  thankful  for  your  Remarks  on  my  Letter,  which  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  are  but  too  just.  It  is  however  really  true,  that  I  was  in  a 
hurry,  when  I  wrote :  and  though  undoubtedly  I  might  have  found  more 
time,  I  am  obliged  to  own,  that  I  am  one  of  those  who  put  off  every  thing 
to  the  last.  And  how  it  should  or  does  happen  I  know  not,  but  so  it  is, 
that  tho  I  certainly  can  write  as  good  English,  &  spell,  as  well  as  most  peo 
ple  yet  when  hurried  I  very  seldom'  do  either.  I  might  perhaps  account 
for  it  in  a  manner  less  reproachful  to  me,  but,  as  you  have  attributed  it  to 
Carelessness,  alone,  &  as  Appearances  are  so  much  against  me,  I  suppose  it 
is  so.  All  therefore  that  I  can  now  do  is  to  promise  to  be  more  attentive  & 
watchful  for  the  future ;  your  gentle,  yet  very  striking  observations  shall 
have  their  due  weight  with  me ;  they  shall  by  no  means  deter  me  from 
writing  to  you  every  opportunity,  &  I  desire  you  would  whenever  you  find 
a  mistake,  point  it  out  to  me  to  the  end,  that  by  discovering  my  errors,  I  may 

*  A  letter  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  dated  9  July,  1771,  is  printed  in  my  Writings 
of  Washington,  II.,  329. 


31 

endeavour  with  more  success  to  amend,  and  at  length  be  capable  of  hold 
ing  a  Correspondence  with  you,  more  agreeable  than  at  present,  on  account 
of  my  incapability.  I  am  glad  that  Wells  dealt  with  you,  which  may  per 
haps  be  a  means  of  introducing  your  stock  to  a  better  market,  &  I  think 
I  may  venture  to  say,  you  might  were  you  to  come  over,  find  persons,  who 
would  give  you  20/.  I  am  sure  they  may  afford  it,  when  they  can  sell  it 
again  at  6  d  per  pound.  Mr  Boucher  presents  his  Compliments  to  you  & 
Uncle  Bassett  &  kindly  offers  to  your  acceptance  a  Room  in  his  House, 
it  being  almost  impossible  to  get  a  Room  at  any  of  the  ordinaries,  the 
Rooms  being  pre  engaged  to  their  customers,  which  puts  strangers  to  a 
very  great  inconvenience  in  attending  the  Races.  Mr  Boucher  begs  you 
would  let  him  know  as  soon  as  you  are  certain  whether  you  are  a  coming, 
or  not,  as  he  expects  many  acquaintances  here  at  the  Races  whom  he  would 
be  glad  to  serve  should  you  not  come. 

I  am  dear  Sir  your  most  effectionate 
&  dutiful  Son 

JOHN  PARKE  CUSTIS. 

The  Annapolis  Races  of  1771.* 

Sept.  21.  Set  out  with  Mr.  Wormeley  for  the  Annapolis  races.  Dined 
at  Mr.  William  Digges,  and  lodged  at  Mr.  Ignatius  Digges. 

22.  Dined  at  Mr.  Sam.  Galloway's,  and  lodged  with  Mr.  Boucher 
in  Annapolis. 

23.  Dined  with  Mr.  Loyd  Dulany,  and  spent  the  evening  at  the 
Coffee  House. 

24.  Dined  with  the  Govr.,  and  went  to  the  play  and  ball  after 
wards. 

25.  Dined  at  Doctor  Stewards,  and  went  to  the  play  and  ball 
afterwards. 

26.  Dined  with  Mr.  Ridouts,  and  went  to  the  play  after  it. 

27.  Dined  at  Mr.  Carroll's,  and  went  to  the  ball. 

28.  Dined  at  Mr.  Boucher's,  and  went  from  thence  to  the  play, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Coffee  House. 

29.  Dined  with  Major  Jenifer,  and  supped  at  Dan'l  Dulany,  Esqr. 

30.  Left  Annapolis,  and  dined  and  supped  with  Mr.  Sam'l  Gal 
loway. 

October  1.  Dined  at  Upper  Marlborough,  and  reached  home  in  the 
afternoon. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

ANNAPOLIS,  19  November,  1771. 
Sir, 

I  have  seen  your  Letter  to  your  Son,  &  I  will  own  to  you,  it  has  given 
me  a  sensible  concern.  That  my  Attention  to  him  has  not  lately  been  so 
close  or  so  rigid,  as  I  wish'd,  or,  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  is  a  Truth  I  will 
not  attempt  to  deny.  The  Peculiarity  of  my  Circumstances  &  Situation, 
as  well  as  of  my  Temper  &  Disposition,  are  all  I  have  to  offer  in  my 
Excuse ;  which,  however,  I  do  not  myself  think  to  be  sufficient.  I  know 
I  might  have  Taught  him,  more  than  I  have,  &,  sincerely  as  I  wish  his  wel 
fare  I  wish  I  had ;  but  I  know  also,  that  there  are  not  many  Masters  under 

*  From  an  interleaved  Almanac  containing  Washington's  journal. 


32 

whom  He  would  have  learn'd  more,  than  He  has  even  under  me.  This 
Business  of  Education  is  a  complex  &  extensive  Subject:  &  a  man  should 
be  well  acquainted  with  it,  before  He  ventures  to  pronounce  how  far 
another  has,  or  has  not,  done  his  Duty.  Dr  Witherspoon,  it  seems,  said  I 
ought  to  have  put  Him  into  Greek.  Now,  how  much  Deference  soever  I 
owe  to  his  Authority,  I  will  venture  to  say,  that  this  Declaration,  at  least, 
must  have  been  made  much  at  Random.  It  was  not  possible  He  should 
know  what  I  ought  to  have  done,  from  the  few,  &  the  Kind  of  Questions 
He  ask'd.  To  be  acquainted  with  the  Greek  is  thought  to  sound  well ; 
but,  to  determine  upon  a  Youth's  literary  Attainments  from  that  Circum 
stance  alone,  is  not,  in  my  Judgment,  a  much  wiser  method  than  the  vulgar 
way  of  enquiring  how  far  a  Boy  has  got ;  and  if  He  has  run  thro'  a  long 
Catalogue  of  Books,  to  conclude  He  must  be  a  good  Scholar.  Had  Dr. 
Witherspoon  been  pleased  candidly  &  fully  to  have  examined  this  young 
Gentleman,  I  shou'd  have  had  nothing  to  fear.  He  would  not,  indeed, 
have  found  him  possess'd  of  much  of  that  dry,  useless,  &  disgusting 
School-boy  kind  of  Learning  fit  only  for  a  Pedant ;  but,  I  trust,  He  would 
have  found  Him  not  illy  acconiplish'd,  considering  his  manners,  Tem 
per,  &  Years,  in  that  liberal,  manly  &  necessary  knowledge  befitting  a 
Gentleman.  I  ever  did  hold  in  Abhorrence  that  servile  System  of  teaching 
Boys  words  rather  than  things ;  &  of  getting  a  parcel  of  Lumber  by  Rote, 
which  may  be  useful  &  necessary  to  a  School -master,  but  can  never  be  so 
to  a  Man  of  the  World.  In  these,  chiefly,  Sir,  your  Son  is  deficient :  & 
but  that  these  are  thought  necessary  to  make  a  Shew  of,  it  were  not,  I 
think,  much  to  be  lamented,  should  he  ever  remain  so.  I  neither  have 
attended,  nor  dare  I  promise  that  I  can  attend,  to  Him,  with  the  Regular 
ity  of  a  School-master.  But,  Sir,  tho'  the  little,  unessential  Minutiae  of 
School-Learning  may  have  sometimes  been  neglected,  and  thro'  my  Fault ; 
I  think  I  know  you  to  be  too  observant  &  too  candid  a  Man  to  believe  that 
He  has  been  wholly  unattended  to.  His  particular  Genius  &  Complexion 
are  not  unknown  to  you ;  &  that  they  are  of  a  kind  requiring  not  the  least 
Judgment  &  Delicacy  to  manage  properly.  Pardon  me,  Sir,  if  I  assume 
somewhat  a  higher  Tone  in  claiming  some  Merit  to  myself,  for  having 
faithfully  done  my  Duty  in  this  the  most  arduous,  &,  doubtless,  by  far 
the  most  important  Part  of  Education.  I  have  hitherto,  I  thank  God,  con 
ducted  Him  with  tolerable  safety,  thro'  some  pretty  trying  &  perilous 
/  Scenes ;  &,  remiss  as  I  am,  or  may  seem  to  be,  I  doubt  not,  in  due  Time, 
f  to  deliver  Him  up  to  you  a  good  Man ;  if  not  a  very  learned  one.  It  will 
^  not  be  thought  necessary  for  me  to  enter  into  a  fuller  Detail  of  this  Matter : 
what  I  should  say,  I  persuade  myself,  will  occur  to  you. 

Annapolis  was  as  unfit  a  Situation  for  me  as  Him,  which  I  knevy  not, 
till  Experience  told  me.  I  am  now,  however,  at  length,  again  to  return  to 
the  Country  with  a  Prospect  of  fewer  Embarrassments  on  my  Hands,  than 
it  had  been  my  good  Fortune  to  be  with  out  for  these  five  Years.  I  once 
was,  I  think,  a  good  Preceptor ;  I  have  never  been  so,  in  my  own  Opinion, 
for  the  Period  just  mentioned.  If,  however,  you  think  proper  to  try  me  a 
little  longer,  I  think  I  can  &  will  do  better  for  Mr  Custis,  than  any  other 
Man ;  if  you  do  not  think  proper,  convinc'd  that  you  will  be  influenced 
only  by  your  Regard  for  him,  most  ardently  wishing  that  you  may  most 
effectually  consult  his  Interest,  I  shall  never  blame  you  for  removing 
Him  —  if,  indeed,  my  Blame  or  approbation  needed  to  be  of  Consequence 
to  you.  You  will  do  me  the  Justice  to  believe  that  I  can  have  no  other 
Motive  for  wishing  his  Continuance  with  me,  besides  a  Kind  of  an  affection- 


33 

ate  Attachment  to  the  Boy,  &  a  piece  of  Pride,  it  may  be,  that  another 
shou'd  not  reap  the  Merit,  if  there  be  any  Merit  in  it,  of  finishing  what  I 
have  begun.  I  am  now,  I  trust,  happily  set  above  the  Necessity  of  teach 
ing  for  a  livelihood  ;  nor  will  I,  as  far  as  I  can  now  judge,  ever  take  Charge 
of  another  Youth  besides  the  Three  now  with  me.  For  the  last  year,  I 
have  long  ago  mentioned  it  to  my  Friends,  I  never  intended  charging  either 
Custis  or  the  other  Two,  any  thing  for  Education  ;  &  this  only  from  what  I 
thought  a  Consciousness  that  I  had  not  deserved  it.  If  He  continues  with 
me  &  1  do  my  Duty  as  I  now  intend  (&  if  I  do  n[ot  I  will]  be  the  first  to 
tell  you  of  it,)  I  will  charge  Him,  at  the  least,  four  or  five  Times  as  much 
as  I  have  ever  yet  done. 

If,  after  all,  you  resolve  in  removing  Him,  all  I  have  to  add  is  a  Request 
that  it  may  not  be  to  Princeton.  Pay  me  the  Complim*  of  believing  that 
I  know  some  thing  of  these  Matters  ;  and  there  is  not  any  thing  I  am  more 
convincid  of,  than  that  your  own  College  is  a  better  one  —  better  in  every 
Respect.  You  live  contiguous  to  it,  &  hear  ev'ry  Objec"  to  it,  often 
magnify'd  beyond  the  Truth ;  &  were  this  the  Case  with  Respect  to  the 
Jerseys,  I  am  mistaken,  if  you  would  hear  less  there.  If,  however,  the 
Objections  to  Williamsburg  be  insuperable,  I  wou'd  then  recommend  New 
Y^ork ;  it  is  but  a  step  farther,  &  for  obvious  Reasons,  infinitely  deserves 
the  Preference. 

I  am,  Sir, 


Boucher  to  Washington. 
Dear  Sir  PRIXCE  GEORGE'S,  15  January,  1772. 

I  now  take  the  Liberty  of  enclosing  to  you,  Mr.  Custis's  Account  for 
the  Year  &  half  that  He  has  spent  in  Maryland.  Undoubtedly,  it  makes 
a  formidable  Appearance,  and,  at  first  view,  may  go  nigh  to  scare  you:  I 
cannot,  however,  believe,  that,  when  you  come  to  descend  to  Particulars, 
you  will  think  it  very  extravagant,  unless  it  be  in  the  Article  of  Clothes, 
which  He  got  by  your  Permission.  I  should,  indeed,  except  out  of  this 
Remark,  the  Charge  of  the  Man,  at  whose  House  we  boarded ;  the  highest 
and  most  unreasonable  I  ever  paid  in  my  Life.  I  am  firmly  persuaded,  I 
never  eat  as  many  Dinners  with  Him,  as  He  has  charged  me  pounds ;  and 
yet  no  Deduction  could  I  obtain  for  two  or  three  Months  of  the  Time,  that 
I  was  in  Virginia,  &  nearly  as  much  that  Mr.  Custis  was.  You  will  believe 
that  I  disputed  it  as  long  as  I  could,  but  Custom  was  against  me,  &  so, 
what  could  I  do?  There  are,  perhaps,  some  other  Articles,  a  little  in  the 
Anuapolitan  Stile  of  charging  :  All  I  can  say  is,  that  I  have  been  as  careful 
of  his  Interest,  as  my  own ;  &  if,  after  all*,  his  Bill  be  very  extravagant 
(for  I  have  of  late,  been  so  used  to  such,  that  I  have  almost  forgot  what  is 
a  reasonable  one)  you  will  do  me  the  Justice  to  own,  it  is  not  from  any  Prof 
its  that  have  accrued  to  me.  As  many  of  these  Bills  as  are  undischarged, 
&  totally  out  of  my  Power  to  discharge,  an  Attention  to  his  Credit,  as  well 
as  my  ower.  obliges  me  to  remind  you  that  unless  it  should  happen  to  be 
inconvenient  to  you,  I  shou'd  be  much  pleas'd  to  have  it  in  my  Power 
immediately  to  pay  Them  off.  For  what  is  properly  owing  to  myself,  it 
will  be  particularly  agreeable  to  me  to  receive  a  Bill  of  Excha  on  London, 
as  I  just  about  ower  as  much  Money  there,  as  I  believe  This  will  amount 
to.  The  State  of  Excha  here  seems  riot  to  be  nearly  so  determinate  & 
fix'd  a.s  it  is  in  Virginia :  I  inquir'd  in  Annapolis,  last  week,  solely  for  the 


34 

purpose  of  directing  you  in  this  Business  ;  &  tho'  I  met  with  different  Infor 
mations,  the  most  general  Account  was,  that  they  did  Business  there  at  55, 
which  you  will  observe,  I  endeavour'd  to  attend  to  in  my  Ace1,  in  reducg 
Virg*1  into  Maryland  Money,  which,  yet,  after  all,  may  not  be  right.  The 
Money  He  yet  owes,  charged  in  my  Ace1,  you  will  see,  is  about  £76 ;  the 
Rest  I  wish  you  to  give  me  a  Bill  for,  which  I  reckon  will  be  somewhat 
more  than  £50  sterling.  I  fear,  I  am  not  a  very  exact  Accountant,  not 
having  been  much  used  to  such  Business ;  you  will  therefore  do  well  not  to 
rely  altogether  on  my  Calculations,  without  examining  them ;  I  trust,  how 
ever,  there  are  not  very  material  Errors.  —  I  must  not  forget  to  let  you 
know,  that  He  just  now  tells  me  He  owes  a  Silversmith  an  Acct.,  which, 
the  Man  being  out  of  the  Way,  I  could  not  get  in,  which  he  supposes  may 
be  4  or  £5,  and  some  other  little  scattering  small  Debts  amounting,  He 
fancies,  to  30/  or  40/.  —  If  not  disagreeable  to  you,  I  shou'd  be  glad  these 
Accts  cd  be  return'd ;  as  I  also  am  interested  in  some  of  Them.  I  have 
some  others,  not  sent,  in  which  things  that  He  had  are  charged  to  me,  & 
which  has  cost  me  no  little  Trouble  to  separate,  and  perhaps,  after  all  my 
Pains,  they  are  not  quite  exact.  If  it  be  necessary,  you  shou'd  have  these 
also,  I  will  send  Them.  Some  I  doubt,  I  have  lost ;  amongst  which  are 
L'  Argeau's  &  Dr  Stevenson,  if  perchance  I  have  not  already  transmitted 
them  to  you.  No  Charge  is  made  for  his  Education ;  and  this  not  only 
because  I  was  uneasy  to  see  his  Bill  already  run  so  very  high,  but  also, 
because,  as  I  have  before  intimated  to  you,  my  Attention  to  Him  has  not 
been  so  regular  &  constant,  as  that  I  could  conscientiously  make  a  Charge 
of  it.  For  the  coming  Year,  however,  I  purpose  to  charge  Him  ten,  if  not 
twenty  Guineas ;  which  lest  you  should  consider  as  a  Finesse,  to  make 
meamends  for  my  Loss  of  the  last  year,  I  mentioned  to  you,  that  I  might 
at  the  same  Time  inform  you,  Mr  Calvert  had  agreed  to  give  me  that  sum 
for  his  Son,  but  which,  for  the  same  Reason,  I  have  not  yet  charged  Him. — I 
know  full  well  your  Sentiments  of  my  Conduct  last  year,  &  I  honour  you  for 
them.  It  is  a  Subject  1  love  not  to  think  on,  still  less  to  speak  or  write 
about.  Could  I  have  foreseen  how  I  shou'd  live  in  Annap0,  He  never 
shou'd  have  gone  there  with  me :  nor  shou'd  he  have  continued,  but  that  I 
thought  every  Day,  I  shou'd  certainly  alter  things,  and  live  to  myself. 
The  Truth  is,  with  many  Demerits  &  Imperfections,  I  still  love  the  lad,  & 
as  I  cou'd  not  find  in  my  Heart  to  part  with  Him,  without  an  absolute 
Necessity.  Thank  God,  it  is  now  over ;  &  tho',  with  my  Acquaintances 
&  Connexions,  I  never  can  be  a  very  diligent  Preceptor,  yet  I  doubt  not 
soon  to  make  amends  for  all  that  is  past.  I  have  much  Pleasure  in  inform 
ing  you,  that  we  all  of  us  seem  perfectly  happy  in  our  new  Situation :  it  is 
quiet  &  comfortable,  &  I  fondly  hope,  healthy.  A  cruel  something,  as 
Prior  says,  is,  however,  still  wanting  —  this  House  is  none  of  mine :  but  as 
I  am  now  resolving  in  good  Earnest  to  become  frugal,  I  must  comfort  my 
self  with  the  Hope,  that  I  soon  shall  be  in  a  Capacity  to  get  one  of  my 
own. 

Lord  Baltimore  is  certainly  dead.  All  that  has  hitherto  been  talked 
about  his  Will,  is  mere,  random  Guess-work.  There  are,  however,  some 
pretty  good  Reasons  to  believe,  that  the  Proprietaryship  of  this  Province, 
&  the  most  considerable  Part  of  his  immense  Property  in  the  Funds, 
are  left  to  the  Family  of  our  Friend,  Govr  Eden.  The  will,  suppos'd  to 
be  his  last,  was  in  Naples,  where  he  dy'd,  Septr  4th.,  after  a  Fever  of  three 
Days,  &  not  transmitted  to  England,  when  the  only  Letr  the  Govr  has  yet 
rec'd  from  his  Ldship's  Agent  on  this  Subject,  came  away.  Doubtless,  this 


35 

Event  will  give  Birth  to  many  little  Revolutions,  of  Consequence  to  us 
here.  Most  People  I  converse  with  seem  anxious  to  have  it  confirm'd, 
that  Mr  Eden  is  Proprietor :  Beyond  all  Question,  it  is  the  happiest  Thing 
that  can  possibly  befall  the  Province. 

I  enclose  you  some  Proposals  for  a  new  Map  of  the  Back  parts  of  America. 
It  was  put  into  my  Hands  by  a  Friend  from  Philada,  with  a  Request  that 
I  wou'd  transmit  it  to  you.  Possibly,  you  know  this  L[ieut  ?]  Hutchins, 
and  can  guess  whether  He  is  likely  to  play  Henry  with  you.  If  I  thought 
there  was  any  Chance  of  its  being  well  executed,  I  should  like  to  subscribe. 
vShou'd  it  fall  in  your  way  to  procure  Him  any  Encouragement,  you  will 
hand  his  Paper  about ;  &  if  you  return  it  to  me,  I  will  take  care  to  have  it 
properly  transmitted  to  the  Author. 

I  beg  my  most  respectful  Compts  to  Mrs  Washing.  &  Miss  Custis,  & 
am  &c. 

J.  B. 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

21  February,  1772. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  congratulate  you,  &  the  world  with  us,  on  our  Restoration  to  a  tem 
perate  Zone  :  for,  in  Truth,  we  have  had  a  kind  of  Greenland  winter.  And, 
for  my  own  Part,  I  own  to  you,  I  now  have  a  much  stronger  Idea,  of  the 
Nature  of  a  Winter  pass'd  in  a  Cave,  than  I  could  ever  have  learn'd  from 
Books  alone.  I  sometimes  almost  regretted,  we  could  not  become  quite 
torpid,  &  sleep  out  the  whole  dreary  Season,  as  Snakes  and  some  other 
Animals  are  said  to  do :  or  that,  as,  like  Bears,  we  were  shut  up  in  our 
Dens,  we  could  not,  like  Them  also,  live  with  out  Fire,  &  by  sucking  our 
Paws :  for  I  had  some  Cause  to  imagine,  if  the  Weather  had  held  much 
longer,  we  should  have  had  some  Temptation  to  try. 

To  what  I  have  heretofore  said  on  the  subject  of  these  Accounts,  I  have 
little  now  to  add ;  unless,  I  should  beg  leave  to  suggest  to  you,  by  way  of 
diminishing  in  some  sort  their  enormous  amount,  that  they  take  in  a  Period 
of  eighteen  months,  at  the  least  —  &  that  they  are  in  a  Currency  so  much 
worse  than  yours.  Comparing  Him  with  the  youths  around  Him,  He 
really  seem'd  frugal ;  &  as  far  as  I  know,  never  indulged  in  any  expence 
that  I  could  have  suppos'd  you  would  have  had  him  restrained  in.  I 
knew  you  expected  him  to  make  such  an  Appearance  as  He  did,  &  keep 
such  Company  as  He  did :  I  knew  not  of  the  twenty  pounds,  &  am  indeed 
somewhat  surpriz'd  at  it :  how  it  has  been  spent  I  know  not.  I  have 
just  enquir'd  of  Him,  &  can  only  hear  that  he  bought  Oranges  &  Pine 
apples,  &c.,  and  gave  away  a  Ticket  or  two.  But,  as  this  is  by  no  means 
a  satisfactory  Ace',  I  have  ordered  Him  to  write  to  you  about  it ;  &  if  he 
cannot  account  for  it,  at  least  to  Apologize  to  you  for  his  Remissness.  I 
hope  it  was  rather  trifled  &  fooled  away,  than  spent  in  a  more  blameable 
manner ;  which  I  think  could  hardly  have  been  without  my  knowledge. 
And,  a  very  few  Venial  Peccadillos  excepted,  I  have  little  of  this  Sort  to 
Charge  Him  with.  The  boarding  a  Person  is  not,  I  should  imagine,  to  be 
considered  as  finding  Him  just  such  a  Quantity  of  Provisions,  &c.  In 
Frazier's  Case,  it  was  his  Livelihood,  &  a  handsome  one  it  is  to  him.  He 
considers  his  House-Rent,  &  all  his  own  Attendance,  Servants,  &  a  long 
et  cetera.  My  Charge  was  governed  by  his,  which,  knowing  my  Board 


36 

to  be  so  much  better,  I  thought  a  sufficient  Warrant  for  me.  I  never 
aim'd  to  make  a  Living  by  taking  Boarders :  in  Virginia,  I  am  persuaded, 
I  lost  by  it.  You  will,  however,  be  so  good  as  consider,  that  no  Man  can, 
even  with  the  most  easy  &  manageable  Boarder,  be  quite  so  easy  in  his 
Family,  as  without  Them  —  &  something  shou'd  be  allow'd  for  the  Incon 
venience  He  puts  himself  to.  I  do  not,  however,  agree,  with  you  that  £25 
a  year  for  a  Boy  in  a  kitchen,  is  an  extravagant  Charge ;  but,  I  suppose, 
it  is  considered  as  making  some  amends  for  other  Disadvantages  —  at  least, 
this  was  the  Apology  Frazier  made  to  me. 

I  observe  the  Errors  you  have  pointed  out ;  in  answer  to  which,  all  I 
can  say  is,  that  I  well  know  I  paid  the  Money  to  the  Man,  at  the  Time  I 
have  charged  it ;  &  This  I  am  the  surer  of,  as  Mr.  Custis  also  remembers 
it.  Gassoway  was  represented  to  me  as  a  Man  who  had  once  seen  better 
days,  &  deserving  of  Compassion  ;  He  was  exceedingly  needy,  &  constantly 
sending  to  me  for  Money.  How  it  has  happened  that  He  charged  these 
Sums  over  again,  &  that  I  overlook'd  them,  I  cannot  account  for,  till  I  see 
Mr  Jacques,  who  was  so  obliging  as  to  take  the  trouble  of  settling  with 
Him  for  Me.  I  will,  however,  have  it  rectify'd,  &  accordingly,  I  have 
already  given  you  Credit  for  it  in  my  Book. 

I  find  much  Trouble  and  Vexation  in  this  said  Country  about  this  Article 
of  Exchange ;  &,  hitherto,  have  generally  lost  by  it.  They  seem  to  have 
no  standard,  nor  fix'd  Regulation,  as  with  you.  I  enquired  of  some  of  the 
Principal  Annap0  &  Baltimore  Merchants  before  I  wrote  to  you ;  but,  I 
will  enquire  again ;  &  if  Bills  either  have  been,  or  shall  be,  either  in  this 
or  the  next  Month,  sold  at  60  p1  cl,  I  will  allow  it.  Some  allowance  you 
[think]  is  to  be  made  for  the  medium  thro'  which  one  generally  receives 
Jgence  of  this  sort :  there  are  always  a  few  degrees  difference 
between  a  buyer  and  a  seller. 

I  fear  it  will  be  impracticable  to  lay  in  Provender  &c.  for  [  ]  Horses 
in  this  neighborhood  ;  as  I  can  hire  but  one  Stable,  &  that  a  most  wretched 
one.  This  Article,  however,  cannot  possibly  hereafter  be  so  heavy  a  one 
as  it  has  been  —  nor,  indeed.  I  hope,  any  other. 

Ld  B[altimore]  is  certainly  dead ;  but,  I  believe  it  is  still  unknown  [what 
his]  Will  is.  It  had  not  been  sent  to  Engld  from  Naples  where  He  dy'd 
~when]  the  last  Letters  I  saw  or  heard  of  came  away.  Every  thing, 
lowever,  known,  is  in  favour  of  Govr  Eden.  At  all  events,  I  guess,  He 
"will  not]  have  a  fight  for  it :  &  I  join  with  you  in  wishing  that  every 
[thing]  may  be  as  much  to  his  Advantage,  as  I  shou'd  fancy  it  is,  that  He 
]  possession.  The  chief  Difficulty  seems  to  be,  whether  the  Pro 
prietary  [was]  or  was  not  entail'd,  &  so,  whether  willable  or  not.  If  this 
Doubt  [can  cer]tainly  be  answer'd  in  the  Affirmative,  I  believe  M1  Eden 
has  little  [chance]  of  being  Proprietor.  I  have  not  seen  him  this  Month, 
or  upwards  [  ]  of  trying  to  get  thither  next  week,  when  I  shall  not 

fail  to  re[meniber  you]  to  Him.  Our  Assembly,  I  hear,  on  Accfc  of  this 
desperate  [  ]  is  prorogued  till  late  in  March.  Shou'd  I  hear  any 

thing  that  I  can  [  ]  it  wou'd  be  agreeable  to  you  to  hear  of,  I  will 

write  to  you  in  Wmsburg.  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  and  agreeable  Sojourn- 
rnent.  I  am  &c. 

I  send  back  the  Accts,  as  I  can  do  without  them  —  &  tho'  I  wish'd  to 
have  had  Rects  under  them,  yet,  I  fancy,  my  general  Recfc  may  do. 

Be  so  good  as  to  take  the  trouble  of  two  or  three  Lrs  to  drop  in  your 
way  down. 


37 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

', 

PRINCE  GEORGE'S  COUNTY,  5  March,  1772. 
D1  Sir, 

At  length  I  have  seen  an  abstract  of  the  will  of  the  Lord  Baltimore ; 
more  absurd,  &  more  vexing  than  you  will  easily  believe.  It  appears  to 
have  been  made  fifteen  months  before  his  Death,  in  Venice,  &  is  as  fol 
lows  : 

To  Mrs.  Browning  (sister  of  Mrs.  Eden*)  &  Mrs  Eden,f  each  £10.000, 
on  condition  that  they  sign  a  Release  to  all  Claim  on  the  Province. 

To  Rob*  Eden,  Robe  Morris  (a  busy  Lawyer,  &  lately  Secretary  to  the 

Society  of  the  Bill  of  Rights),  Hugh  Hammersley  (lately  Ld  B 's 

Steward  or  agent  in  England),  Richd  Prevosti  (his  attorney,  &  of  a  good 
Character)  Esqrs,  his  Exrs,  on  condition  that  they  prove  the  will  within 
twelve  months,  each,  £1500. 

To  Rob*  Eden,  one  hundred  pounds  per  annum. 

To  Henry  Harford  (a  nat1  son,  abl  13  years  of  age),  the  Province; 
Remainder  to  F ranees  Harford — §  Remr  to  Mrs  Eden. 

To  Henry  Harford,  £30,000.  Remr  to  Frances  Harford.  Remr  to 
Mrs  Eden. 

To  Frances  Harford,  £30,000.  Remr  to  Henry  Harford.  Remr  to 
Mrs  Eden. 

To  Mrs  Hales  (a  woman  whom  he  has  been  dragging  round  Europe,  &, 
for  a  Lady  of  easy  virtue,  of  good  character),  £1000. |j 

To  Two  Miss  Hales's  (his  Daughters  by  the  above  Mrs  Hales)  each 
£2000. 

Hen :  &  Frances  Harford  residuary  Legatees. 

I  think  I  remember  nothing  more ;  &,  if  I  mistake  not,  you  will  think 
this  quite  enough.  Two  wills  that  he  had  left  in  England,  in  both  of 
wrhich,  I  believe,  he  had  leftlT  the  Province,  &  the  Bulk  of  his  Fortune, 
amounting,  it  is  said,  to  more  than  £100,000,  were  remanded  &  destroy 'd : 
tho'  there  has  not  been  known  any  Coolness  between  them,  but  on  the 
contrary,  an  increasing  affection,  at  least,  in  Professions.  I  am  but  little 
able  to  inform  you  what  steps  the  Governor  intends  to  take,  tho'  I  hap- 
pen'd  to  be  with  Him,  when  he  received  the  will :  only  that  He  is  resolved 
to  try  to  overset  it,  &  with  good  Hopes  of  success.  They  suppose  the 
Province  to  be  of  that  kind  of  Property  which  is  not  deviseable,  contrary 
to  the  Opinion  espoused  some  time  ago,  when  there  was  no  doubt  but  the 
will  was  in  favor  of  Mrs  Eden,  or  her  Family ;  &  find  Precedents  in  the 
case  of  the  Duke  of  Athol  with  respect  to  the  Isle  of  Man.  In  case  of 
success,  then,  you  see,  the  two  sisters  will  be  co-heiresses,  &,  of  consequence, 
Mrs.  Eden  comes  in  for  but  half :  which,  however,  will  be  no  contemptible 
Acquisition.  You  will  readily  believe  how  heartily  I  join  with  you  in 
wishing  success  to  this  only  Reputable  Branch  of  a  Family  once  so  respect- 

*  Louisa  Browning,  Baltimore's  eldest  sister. 

t  Carolina  Eden,  wife  of  Robert  Eden. 

t  Peter  Provost. 

§  Henry  and  Frances  Mary  Harford  were  children  of  Baltimore  by  Hester  Phelan, 
an  Irishwoman.  To  Hester  he  left  an  annuity  of  £200. 

||  In  the  will,  Mrs.  Hales  is  described  as  "Elizabeth  Dawson,  of  the  county  of  Lin 
coln,  spinster."  The  daughters  were  named  Sophia  and  Elizabeth.  Boucher  omits  a 
mention  of  a  third  incumbrance,  "Charlotte  Hope,  daughter  of  a  certain  German 
woman  called  Elizabeth  Hope,  of  the  county  of  Munster  in  Germany,  an  infant  of  the 
age  of  two  months,  more  or  less,  and  born  at  Hamburgh,  the  sum  of  £2000." 

H  To  Governor  or  Mrs.  Eden  should  be  inserted  here ;  though  not  in  MS. 


38 

able :  but,  in  Truth,  their  prospects  seem  sadly  overcast ;  &,  at  least,  they 
have  a  World  of  Difficulties  to  encounter. 

If  any  thing  that  a  wicked  &  a  foolish  Man  does,  cou'd  justly  be  matter 
of  wonder,  this  will  wou'd  really  be  unaccountable.  Till  now,  this  Boy 
was  scandalously  neglected  :  his  Mother  long  ago  displac'd  on  a  very  scanty 
Pension.  Whilst  Mrs  Hales  was  thought  to  possess  a  plenary  influence 
over  him,  was  constantly  with  him,  as  well  as  her  children. 

I  shall  hardly  need  to  say  what  Confusion  this  Event  is  likely  to  pro 
duce  amongst  us.  The  general  Opinion  seems  to  be,  that  the  Crown,  if 
not  urged  by  an  attention  to  the  safety  of  the  subject,  yet  as  constitutional 
Guardian  to  the  illegitimate  Boy,  will  immediately  appoint  to  the  Govern 
ment.  The  northern  Papers,  I  hear,  have  already  mention'd  Mr  Zachary 
Hood,  the  Man  that  came  in  here  as  Stamp  Master,  for  the  Govr.  I  think 
it  far  more  probable  that  your  Friend  Coll.  Mercer  will  be  the  man  ;  unless 
Governor  Eden  &  his  Friends  shou'd  apply,  which  hitherto  he  seems  by 
no  means  determined  upon.  It  'certainly  is,  by  no  means,  a  very  romantic 
Conjecture,  to  imagine  that  we  shall  now  ere  long  become  a  royal  Govern 
ment  :  a  Revolution,  but  little  wish'd  for  by  the  people  here. 

I  hardly  ever  have  seen  a  Man  bear  the  shock  of  ill  news  with  such 
composure  as  the  Governor ;  undoubtedly,  nothing  was  remoter  from  his 
Expectations,  than  so  absurd  &  reproachful  a  Distribution  of  so  immense 
an  Estate,  which  he  had  been  repeatedly  assur'd  wou'd  belong  to  his 
Family.  Mrs  Eden  indeed  is  more  affected.  She  may  well,  having  been 
tormented  by  him  thro'  the  whole  Course  of  her  Life,  &,  at  last  most  vil 
lainously  dup'd  &  cheated.  Cajoled  by  his  specious  Assurances,  the  Govr 
was  tempted  to  give  up  his  Prospects  in  the  Army,  which  were  flattering ; 
&  Mrs  Eden,  decoy'd  hither,  greatly  against  her  Inclination.  It  is  happy 
for  them,  that  they  have  [  ]  &  comfortable  Competence  to  retire  to, 

fortunately  out  of  his  Re[nts.] 

The  Govr  begg'd  me  most  cordially  to  thank  you  for  your  friend  [ 
&  to  assure  you  of  his  great  esteem  &  Regard  for  you.  I  expect  [ 
next  week,  &  had  you  been  at  Home,  we  shou'd  certainly  have  [  ]  other 

tempted  you  to  join  us.     He  has  got  you  a  very  handsome  &  [  ] 

whale  Boat,  for  £20,  which,  I  fancy  is  by  this  Time  at  Mount  [Vernon]. 

I  beg  the  Favour  of  you  to  speak  to  your  two  Printers,  &  [  ]  my 

Newspapers,  if  by  this  Time,  I  owe  them  for  a  year.     I  shall  [  ] 

also,  you  will  be  so  good  as  remind  them  to  direct  for  me  to  the  care  of 
[Mr.  Lowndes]  Merch*  in  Bladensburg,  as  I  have  hardly  seen  one  Virginia 
Paper  since  Xmas.  Purdie  &  Dixon  will  oblige  me  bv  sending  me  the 
address  of  the  Clergy  [  ]  ward,  &  Dr.  Chandler's  appeal,  &  G  Wat- 

kin's  Ansr,  &c.,  which  I  have  seen  advertis'd  by  Him. 

I  hope  to  see  you  in  Maryland  soon  after  your  Return,  &  in  the  mean 
time  am  &c.* 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

22  May,  1772. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  send  Joe  over  on  purpose  to  let  you  know  that  the  Govr  &  Mrs  Eden 
will  not  wait  on  you  this  Trip :  some  unforeseen  occasions  call  them  again 
to  Annap8  sooner  than  they  expected ;  they  therefore  desir'd  me  to  beg 
your  excusing  them  at  this  Time.  They  still  talk,  if  it  be  practicable, 

*  Letters  from  Washington  to  Boucher,  dated  4  and  21  May,  1772,  is  in  my  Writings 
of  Washington,  ii.  347,  349. 


39 

that  they  will  visit  you  before  Mrs  Eden  leaves  the  Country ;  but,  of  this 
shou'd  I  chance  to  get  notice,  as  I  probably  shall,  I  shall  find  occasion 
hereafter  to  inform  you.  The  Govr  dines  with  yr  Neighbr  Mr  Digges  to 
morrow,  &  sleeps  at  Mr.  Eoger's,  where  I  am  again  to  meet  Him.  Shou'd 
you  be  quite  at  Leisure,  &  your  whale  Boat  be  arriv'd,  perhaps  you  may 
be  tempted  to  try  her.  'Squire  Calvert  alone  accompanies  Him.  Mention 
ing  this  Gentleman's  Name,  reminds  me  of  a  Request  he  made  to  me,  that 
I  wou'd  engage  of  you  for  Him  &  myself,  thirty  or  forty  Weathers,  for 
Muttons,  in  the  next  Fall,  if  you  shou'd  then  have  so  many  to  spare.  I 
beg  you  to  attend  to  this,  &  to  give  us  the  Preference  to  any  other  chap : 
we  will  hereafter  contrive  about  getting  them  over,  if  we  can  but  have 
them. — I  forgot  too,  in  my  Lr  by  Peale,*  to  tell  you  from  Mr.  S.  Galloway, 
that  he  had  sent  you  two  Cases  of  excellent  claret  (I  have  tasted  it,  &  it 
really  is  good)  to  Mr.  Ignatius  Digges's.  I  think  each  case  contains  6  Doz:, 
&  I  believe  at  45/  pr  doz  :  I  guess  you  will  have  it  carted  down  to  Piscata, 
&  fetch  it  thence  by  water ;  &  if  I  can  be  made  assisting  to  you,  surely 
you  will  not  hesitate  ab*  command8  me. 

"With  this  vile  Pen  &  ink.  even  were  I  not  exceedingly  hurried  I  have 
some  doubts  whether  you  will  be  able  to  read  what  I  attempt  to  scrawl. 
I  will  not  therefore  add  a  word  more  but  that  I  am  &c. 

Boucher  to  Washington. 

CASTLE  MAGRUDER,  19  January,  1773. 
Dear  Sir, 

It  is  certainly  expedient  to  remove  Mr  Custis  to  some  Place  of  publick 
Education,  and  speedily.  And  where  there  is  so  noble,  so  princely  an 
Institution  of  this  sort,  in  his  own  Country,  it  is  lamentable  to  find  there 
still  should  be  a  Necessity  for  sending  Him  to  another.  I  had,  as  you 
know,  been  endeavouring  to  believe  the  many  Stories  we  are  perpetually 
hearing  of  the  Mismanagement  of  Wm  &  Mary  as  partial  &  exaggerated : 
but,  the  Carefulness  of  your  Enquiries  on  the  Spot  excludes  all  further 
Doubt  about  the  matter. 

I  can  truly  say,  I  do  not  differ  from  you  in  Opinion,  but  with  diffidence 
of  the  Rectitude  of  my  own ;  nor  wou'd  I  venture  to  mention  my  differing 
with  you  at  all,  had  1  not  long  ago  experienced  your  Candor  in  allowing 
for  the  prepossessions  or  Prejudices  of  your  Friends.  I  will  therefore  yet 
again  take  the  Liberty  of  declaring  my  Opinion  in  favour  of  N.  York, 
rather  than  Philada.  It  is  but  justice  to  premise,  that  I  am  not  personally 
acquainted  either  with  the  one  Place  or  the  other.  You,  I  believe,  are ; 
&  can  therefore  better  judge,  whether  what  I  say  on  the  Report  of  others 
be  well  or  ill-founded. 

Philada  is  a  large,  populous,  thriving,  commercial  City  :  &  so  is  N.  York. 
The  Former,  is  this  only  ;  the  latter  is  more.  It  is  inhabited  by  [  ] 

People  of  the  most  considerable  Rank  &  Fortune ;  it  is  a  Place  of  the 
greatest  Resort  for  Strangers  of  Distinction ;  it  is  the  Head  Quarters  of 
the  military ;  &,  on  all  these  accounts,  is,  I  am  told,  generally  reckon'd 
the  most  fashionable  &  polite  Place  on  the  Continent.  As  a  Situation,  there 
fore,  for  a  young  Gentleman,  who  is  to  be  educated  a  little  in  the  World, 
as  well  as  in  Books,  it  wou'd  seem,  that  it  deserves  the  Preference.  In 
fact  a  little  Residence  in  such  a  City  is  the  best  substitute  I  know  of  for 
the  Tour  that  was  once  projected :  as  He  stands  a  better  Chance  for  acquir 

*  Charles  Willson  Peale,  at  this  time  painting  a  portrait  of  Washington. 


40 

ing  that  Liberality  of  Manners,  which  is  one  of  the  best  Uses  of  Travel, 
by  mixing  occasionally  with  truly  well-bred  People.  This,  tho'  I  have 
not  Leisure  to  pursue  it  farther,  is  of  some  Importance  in  the  Determina 
tion  of  this  matter. 

Confident  that  my  Letter  is  for,  &  will  be  kept  to,  yourself  alone,  I  will 
not  be  afraid  to  speak  out,  tho'  perhaps  I  may  be  mistaken,  persuaded  that 
I  shall  be  pardoned,  if  wrong.  I  wou'd  not  rashly  reflect  either  on  any 
Bodies  of  Men,  or  Individuals :  what,  therefore,  I  am  about  to  say,  must 
be  read  with  great  Candor,  and  larger  Allowances.  From  the  best  Obser 
vations  I  have  been  able  to  make  on  young  Gentlemen  educated  in  America, 
one  general  Fault  is,  that  they  come  out  into  the  World,  furnish'd  with 
a  kind  of  smattering  of  every  Thing,  &,  with  very  few  Exceptions,  arrant 
Coxcombs.  Were  it  not  too  invidious,  I  cou'd  name  to  you  Individuals, 
who  are  really  clever,  but  hurt  one  by  this  silly  humour.  And,  I  think, 
as  many  have  brought  away  this  sort  of  spirit  from  the  Coll :  of  Philada, 
as  any  other  I  have  taken  notice  of.  I  know  not  a  Fault  one  wou'd  more 
earnestly  wish  to  avoid ;  nor  one,  considering  ye  Character  &  Manners  of 
your  Ward,  that  you  shou'd  more  guard  against.  How  far  this  may  be 
owing  to  any  peculiar  Discipline,  or  Mode  of  Instruction  in  these  Colleges, 
I  presume  not  to  say ;  certainly,  however,  the  Fact  is,  as  I  have  hinted,  & 
I  have  heard  the  observation  made  by  others  as  well  as  myself.  That  this 
is  not  also  the  Case  with  Respect  to  King's  College  in  New  York,  is  more 
than  I  have  any  authority  positively  to  assert :  I  have,  however,  some 
Reason  to  believe,  that  it  is  not,  at  least  not  in  so  great  a  degree.  Most 
other  Colleges  are  formed  on  the  Plans  of  those  in  Scotl'1,  Leyden,  Got- 
tingen,  Geneva :  Wm  &  Mary,  &  King's  College,  resemble  more  those  of 
Oxford  &  Cambridge.  In  the  former,  Men  often  may  become  Scholars,  if 
they  will ;  in  the  latter,  they  must  often  be  made  so,  whether  they  will  or 
no.  The  Presid*  of  the  Coll :  of  Philada,  whose  Abilities  are  unquestion 
able,  was  himself  brought  up  in  Scotland,  in  a  less  regular  manner,  than  is 
the  Fortune  of  Scholars  in  general :  &,  in  spite  of  his  great  merit,  this 
must  be  some  disadvantage  to  Him  in  the  office  He  holds.  By  dint  of 
superior  Genius,  He  has  himself  arriv'd  at  Eminence  in  Literature,  by  a 
nearer  Cut,  as  it  were ;  but,  the  Bulk  of  Men,  must  be  enforced  to  travel 
thither,  along  the  beaten  Track.  It  is  therefore,  in  some  sort,  necessary 
that  He  who  undertakes  to  guide  us,  shou'd  himself  have  travelled  the 
Road  He  is  to  shew  us.  The  President*  of  King's  College  is  allow'd  to 
be  as  sound  &  sensible  a  Scholar  as  any  in  America.  He  was  first  train'd 
up  regularly  in  a  large  School  in  England,  &  afterwards  completed  his 
Education  by  a  ten  or  twelve  years  Residence  in  Oxford.  I  do  not,  how 
ever,  lay  much  stress  on  the  comparative  Merits  of  the  Professors :  both 
of  those  I  have  named  possess  extraordinary  Merit.  But,  were  the  matter 
to  be  so  determined,  no  Reason  cou'd  be  given  for  his  leaving  his  own  Coun 
try,  as  I  know  very  few  better  scholar's  than  either  Mr  [John]  Camm  or 
Mr  Johnson. 

It  is  but  fair  in  me  to  advertise  you,  that  I  have,  &  long  have  had,  a 
very  warm  &  close  Friendship  with  Dr.  Cooper,  Presid1  of  the  N.  York 
College,  that  He  is  my  Countryman,  &  constant  Correspondent,  &  that, 
moreover,  I  am  under  some  Obligations  to  the  Trustees  of  his  College  for 
an  honorary  Degree,  they  were  pleased  to  confer  on  me  some  time  ago. 
How  far,  these  Things  may  have  biass'd  my  Judgment,  you  will  judge 
better  than  I  can.  1  profess,  however,  that  I  have  not  willingly  suffered 

*  Dr.  Myles  Cooper. 


41 

private  Friendship  or  Attachments  to  warp  my  Judgment.  And  I  the 
less  suspect  myself,  inasmuch  as  I  know,  that  the  Dulanys  &  the  Rev'1  Mr 
Addison,  by  far  the  best  educated  Men,  &  best  Judges  of  Education  in  this 
Province,  agree  in  this  Matter,  in  Opinion  with  me.  The  last  of  these 
Gentlemen  proposes  to  give  this  least  equivocal  Proof  of  his  Judgment  on 
the  Matter,  the  sending  his  own  Son  thither,  his  youngest  I  mean,  when 
ever  the  ill-Health  of  Mrs  Addison  shall  permit  Him  to  take  Him  from 
her.  And,  I  think  I  have  heard  Mr.  Walter  Dulany  also  talk  of  sending 
his  youngest  Son,  tho'  Mrs  Dulany  is,  I  believe,  a  Native  of  Philada,  &  has 
many  Relations  there. 

The  Difference  in  point  of  Distance,  I  shou'd  imagine  too  inconsiderable 
to  deserve  much  Attention,  even  from  a  fond  Parent.  He  may  write  every 
Week,  from  the  one  Place  as  well  as  the  other :  &  as  his  visits  neither  can, 
nor  ought  to  be  very  frequent,  a  Day  or  two's  Difference  in  the  Journey 
can  make  but  little  odds. 

And  now,  my  dear  sir,  relying  on  your  believing  what  I  have  said,  to 
have  been  delivered  with  the  best  Intention,  I  beg  leave  to  refer  the 
Determination  of  the  matter,  where  doubtless  it  ought  to  be  left,  entirely 
with  yourself.  I  have  not  now  to  inform  you  of  my  Regard  for  the  Youth  : 
his  Welfare,  believe  me,  is  the  only  motive  that  I  wish  to  influence  my 
Judgment ;  &  were  I  not  persuaded,  that  that  would  be  more  effectually 
promoted  by  sending  him  to  York  rather  than  Philada,  I  had  never  taken 
the  Liberty  of  troubling  you  with  this  long  Letter. 

Whenever  you  have  finally  determined  the  matter,  I  beg  the  Favour  of 
you  to  let  me  know :  and,  if  it  be  for  Philada,  as  I  happen  to  have  no 
personal  Acquaintance  with  Dr.  Smith,  for  whose  Character,  however,  I 
profess  the  highest  Respect,  I  will  give  you  the  Letter  you  ask. 

I  have  a  Wish  indeed,  a  strong  one,  to  accompany  you  on  this  little  Tour  : 
the  Indisposition  of  my  Eye  makes  it  almost  absolutely  necessary  for  me 
to  seek  assistance  somewhere,  &  which,  they  tell  me,  can  only  be  found  to 
the  Northward.  But,  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  set  my  House  in  such 
order,  as  that  my  Absence  so  long  may  be  dispensed  with,  is  more  than  I 
can  now  judge.  This  only  I  know,  that  if  I  possibly  can,  I  will. 

A  very  disagreeable  Controversy,  with  two  of  our  patriot  Lawyers, 
which  I  was  too  easily  persuaded  to  enter  into,  seems  likely  to  cut  me  out 
a  good  deal  of  Work.  This,  however,  if  other  Matters  can  be  got  over,  is 
certainly  not  of  moment  en  ought  to  detain  me. 

Mrs  Boucher  begs  her  aff*  Compts  to  Mrs  Washington  &  Miss  Ciistis,  to 
which  I  request  mine  may  be  joined.  I  am  &c. 

JBoucher  to    Washington. 

PRINCE  GEORGE'S  COUNTY,  8  April,  1773. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  hardly  remember  ever  to  have  been  more  surprised  than  I  was  a  few 
days  ago,  on  being  informed  by  the  Governor  of  the  engagement  that  had 
taken  Place  between  Mr  Custis  &  Miss  Nelly  Calvert  ;*  and,  I  beg  Leave 
to  assure  you,  on  my  Word  &  Honour,  that,  never  till  that  moment,  had  I 
the  most  distant  suspicion  of  any  such  Things  being  in  agitation.  It  gives 
me  great  uneasiness  to  learn,  from  the  same  authority,  that  you  think  me 
in  some  measure  to  blame.  To  this,  I  can  only  reply,  that,  if  I  have  err'd, 
the  Error  was  of  the  Head,  &  not  of  the  Heart.  Mr  Custis  will  do  me 

*  A  letter  from  Washington  to  the  father,  Benedict  Calvert,  is  printed  in  my  Writings 
of  Washington,  ii,  376. 


42 

the  Justice  to  own,  that  I  have  repeatedly  warn'd  Him  of  the  Hazard 
every  man  must  necessarily  run,  who  precipitates  Himself  into  so  import 
ant  an  attachment,  ere  the  Judgment  be  fully  matured.  He  has  Reason 
to  be  thankful  that  He  runs  as  little  as  any  one  can.  The  peculiar  & 
extraordinary  merits  of  the  Lady  He,  fortunately,  has  singled  out  to  place 
his  affections  on,  assure  me,  he  never  will  have  cause  to  repent  it,  from 
Her;  I  wish,  I  cou'd  be  half  so  sure,  that  his  own  future  Conduct  & 
altered  opinions,  may  never  tempt  him  to  wish,  that  He  had  let  it  alone,  a 
little  longer. 

You  will  remember  I  always  thought  that  he  was  enamoured  of  Miss 
Betsey ;  tho'  even  in  that,  I  suspected  not,  that  there  was  any  Likelihood 
of  its  becoming  so  serious,  without  my  first  knowing  more  of  it.  Why, 
He  has  carried  it  so  far,  without  ever  deigning  to  pay  me  that  common 
Compliment,  which,  I  think,  my  Friendship  for  him  well  entitled  me  to, 
He  best  can  tell.  I  will  not,  however,  impute  it  to  a  worse  Cause,  than  a 
false  Shame.  If  he  had  consulted  me,  He  would  have  found  me  in  that, 
as  I  hope,  He  has,  in  other  Things,  candid  and  indulgent.  But,  when  I 
recollect,  that  he  neglected  also  to  inform  you,  I  forbear  my  murmurings, 
ashamed  to  insist  too  much  on  a  Breach  of  Friendship,  with  your  Example 
before  me,  who  have  forgiven  a  Breach  of  Duty. 

I  beg  you  to  recall  to  your  mind,  what  my  Conduct  has  been  in  other 
Instances  respecting  this  young  Gentleman;  and  I  am  sure  you  will  do  me 
the  Justice  to  own,  that  mv  not  having  advertis'd  you  of  this  also,  has  been 
owing  solely  to  my  not  knowing  it,  myself.  However  infatuated  I  may 
have  been  in  my  political  Pursuits,  I  would  not  have  been  wanting  m  so 
essential  an  Instance  of  Duty.  I  therefore,  will  hope,  that  you  will  not 
continue  to  judge  harshly  of  my  negligence,  inasmuch  as  I  again  assure 
you,  that,  if  I  have  been  to  blame,  I  have  been  so  unintentionally. 

I  should  belie  my  real  opinion,  were  I  not  to  say  that,  I  think,  it  had 
been  better  for  Mr.  Custis  not  to  have  engag'd  Himself ;  but,  since  This 
could  not  be,  I  should  hardly  belie  it  less,  not  to  own,  that  I  think  he 
cou'd  nowhere  have  enter'd  into  a  more  prudent  Engagement.  Miss  Nelly 
Calvert  has  Merit  enough  to  fix  Him,  if  any  Woman  can ;  and  1  do,  from 
the  fullness  of  a  warm  Heart,  most  cordially  congratulate  his  mother  & 
yourself,  as  well  as  Him,  on  the  Happiness  of  his  having  made  this  most 
pleasing  of  all  connexions,  with  this  the  most  amiable  young  woman  I 
have  almost  ever  known.  I  know  her  well,  and  can  truly  say,  she  is  all 
that  the  fondest  Parent  can  wish  for  a  darling  child.  Warmed  with  the 
Ideas  of  her  merit,  I  can  almost  persuade  myself  to  believe,  that  the  ad 
vantages  which  may  be  deriv'd  to  his  Morals  from  this  Engagement,  rash 
as  it  has  been,  are  enough  to  compensate  for  all  the  ill  Influence  it  may  be 
supposed  to  have  on  his  intellectual  Pursuits.  There  is  a  Generosity,  a 
Fortitude,  a  manliness  &  Elevation  of  mind  which  such  true  Gallantry 
inspires,  that  is  not  so  Easily  otherwise  taught.  As  I  will  not  suffer  my 
self  to  think,  but  for  a  moment,  that  He  will  ever  be  wanting  in  Honour 
or  Integrity,  so  as  to  tempt  Him  to  shrink  from  an  honourable  Engage 
ment,  I  trust,  He  will  also  consider  Himself  as  not  less  bound  in  Honour, 
to  avoid  all  those  sordid  &  less  noble  Pursuits,  which  wou'd  debase,  & 
render  Him  unworthy  of  Her.  Nay,  I  trust  that  He  will  mid  himself 
enabled  to  collect  the  dissipated  Powers  of  his  mind,  &  apply  with  Ear 
nestness  to  his  Studies,  which,  it  seems,  He  now  confesses,  He  has  not 
been  able  to  do  these  twelve  months,  owing  to  the  impression  of  this 
Passion.  Upon  the  whole,  it  appears  to  me,  considering  his  Temper  & 


8    C1  O  01PIB3*  JDJD.JLoTL.aD, 

S*ondJ$*u&nt  of  CclumAui  CoUye 


43 

Situation,  his  Friends  have  rather  Reason  to  rejoice,  than  be  uneasy  at 
this  Engagement. 

I  enclose  you  a  Letter  from  Dr  Cooper,  which,  I  assure  myself,  will  not 
be  displeasing  to  you.  He  is  a  man  of  true  merit,  in  every  sense  of  the 
word ;  and  you  may  safely  depend  on  his  Doing  every  Thing  becoming 
such  a  man.  You  see,  you  have  all  this  &  the  next  month,  before  you ; 
He  should  be  there  before  their  Commencement  in  June,  that  He  may  not 
lose  a  Term  and,  as  his  Friend  &  old  Companion  Carr,  has  some  thoughts 
of  accompanying  Him  thither,  on  the  same  Errand,  I  will  be  obliged  to 
you,  if,  without  Inconvenience  to  yourself,  you  can  give  Him  three  weeks 
or  a  month,  to  consult  his  Friends,  &  get  ready. 

I  am  told,  you  have  Business  to  our  Provincial  Court,  the  next  week : 
I  hope  to  see  you  either  agoing,  or  returning.  The  Govr,  Mr  Calvert,  the 
Chief  Justice,  &  Mr  Dulany  dine  here  on  Monday.  Should  you  set  out 
on  that  Day,  you  know  you  can  be  here  in  Time  to  Dinner.  I  am,  &c.* 

Dr.  Cooper  to  Washington. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK,  2  July,  1773. 
DEAR  SIR, 

I  rec'd  your's  the  Day  before  Yesterday.  Unfortunately,  Mr  Custis 
himself,  having  taken  it  from  ye  man  employed  by  ye  Post  Master  to  carry 
Letters  about,  brought  it  to  me ;  so  that  I  gave  the  inclosed  to  him  im 
mediately,  little  suspecting  the  mournful  Contents.  The  Shock,  you  may 
suppose,  was  severe ;  however,  he  is  grown  much  more  composed ;  &  I 
hope  his  good  Sense  and  Christian  Fortitude,  in  a  reasonable  Time  will 
perfect  ye  cure.t 

He  lives  now  altogether  in  the  College,  and  dines  with  the  Professors 
and  myself  in  the  College-hall.  He  has  fitted  up  a  Room  in  a  neat,  plain 
Taste,  attends  his  Instructors  punctually,  and,  I  doubt  not  will  make  a 
Proficiency  equal  to  ye  warmest  Wishes  and  Expectations  of  his  best 
Friends.  At  present,  indeed,  as  must  be  expected,  his  mind  is  not  in  a 
state  to  admit  of  any  Intenseness  of  application ;  but  I  am  persuaded,  as 
his  Grief  wears  off  he  will  do  every  Thing  that  is  reasonably  to  be  ex 
pected  from  a  young  Gentleman  in  his  situation.  He  has  already  gained 
much  upon  ye  affections  of  his  Instructors  ;  which  is  a  Circumstance  that 
cannot  fail  of  producing  very  beneficial  effects,  with  Regard  both  to  his 
Learning  and  Happiness,  during  his  Residence  in  this  Place. 

I  fancy  he  will  not  chuse  to  write  to  you  himself  for  a  few  Days  ;  but 
he  has  desired  me  to  inform  you  that  his  situation  among  us  is  perfectly 
agreeable. 

I  have  the  Honour  to  be,  good  Sir, 

Yr  most  obed*  and  obliged  Serv*  &c., 

M.  COOPER. 

John  Parke  Custis  to  Washington. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  5  July,  1773. 
Hond  Sir, 

Pardon  me  for  having  thus  impos'd  upon  your  good  nature  by  not  writ 
ing  to  you  sooner.  I  neither  could  nor  had  it  in  my  power  to  say  any 

*  Washington  set  out  for  New  York  on  May  10th  to  place  Custis  under  the  care  of  Dr. 
Cooper.  He  reached  that  city  on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  and  on  the  following  evening 
was  present  at  an  entertainment  given  by  the  citizens  to  General  Gage. 

t "  Patsy "  Custis  died  on  the  19th  of  June.  A  letter  of  Washington's  to  Burwell 
Bassett  is  in  my  Writings  of  Washington,  ii.  384. 


44 

thing  with  certainty  concerning  my  establishment  here  till  now.  It  gives 
me  Pleasure  that  I  now  have  it  in  my  Power  to  inform  you  how  agreeably 
every  thing  is  settled.  There  has  nothing  been  omitted  by  my  good 
Friend  Doctor  Cooper  which  was  necessary  to  my  contentment  in  this 
Place.  And  Gratitude  as  well  as  Truth  oblidges  me  to  say,  that  the  other 
Professors  are  not  the  least  remiss  in  their  Duty  but  give  all  the  assistance 
they  can  consistant  with  the  Duty  they  owe  to  the  other  Students.  I 
attend  at  stated  Hours,  the  Professors,  in  mathematicks,  Languages,  moral 
and  experimental  Philosophy,  &  I  hope  the  Progress  I  make  in  these  useful 
branches  of  knowledge  will  redown  not  only  to  my  own  Credit,  but  to  the 
Credit  of  those  who  have  been  instrumental  in  placing  me  here,  &  in 
particular  render  you  some  Compensation  &  Satisfaction  for  the  parental 
Care  and  attention  you  have  always  &  upon  all  occasions  manifested 
towards  me,  &  which  demand  my  most  grateful  thanks  &  returns,  to  make 
which  shall  be  the  constant  care  of  J.  P.  Custis. 

I  found  great  difficulty  in  disposing  of  my  grey  horse.  His  Colour 
made  so  much  against  him  that  I  was  oblidged  (to  avoid  expence)  to  sell 
him  at  public  Vendue  for  only  34  pounds  this  currency,  a  price  tho  below 
his  value  I  was  oblidged  to  take.  The  Bay  I  have  kept  &  shall  keep 
unless  I  hear  from  you  to  the  contrary.  He  is  a  Horse  I  know  to  be  good, 
&  one  I  have  a  vast  effection  for,  &  except  riding,  there  is  no  other  ex 
ercise  to  be  us'd  here,  which  makes  it  necessary  either  for  me  to  keep  a 
Horse  or  hire  a  poor  miserable  hack  to  take  an  airing  twice  or  thrice  a 
week,  the  distance  of  4  or  5  miles  into  ye  Country  for  the  Benefit  of  my 
Health. 

There  is  nothing  now,  which  interrupts  my  tranquillity,  but  the  melan 
choly  subject  of  your  last  Letter,  &  the  uneasiness  I  fear  my  poor  mother 
suffers  on  that  account.  I  myself  could  not  withstand  the  shock,  but  like 
a  Woman  gave  myself  up  entirely  to  melancholy  for  several  Days.  I 
should  most  gladly  have  answered  your  favor  when  Doctor  Cooper  did,  & 
have  endeavoured  to  administer  some  comfort  to  my  distrest  Parent,  But 
my  Mind  was  too  much  agitated  to  admit  a  thought,  &  was  illy  capable  to 
give  others  what  it  stood  so  much  in  need  of  itself.  But  I  am  persuaded 
your  Goodness  left  no  stone  unturn'd  to  render  this  shock  as  easy  as  pos 
sible,  and  I  think  the  only  &  most  effectual  means  to  remove  from  her 
mind  the  Impressions  of  my  Poor  Sister,  is  to  carry  her  from  home  for 
some  considerable  Time,  for  every  thing  at  Mount  Vernon  must  put  her  in 
mind  of  her  late  Loss.  Shoud  this  thought  of  mine  be  approv'd  of,  the 
seeing  of  you  at  this  Place  would  render  me  extremely  happy,  and  answer 
fully  the  end  of  her  Comeing.  Doctor  Cooper  was  speaking  to  me  on  this 
Head  the  other  Day,  &  said  then,  that  he  would  write  to  you  to  that  effect, 
and  recommend  it  as  strongly  as  he  could.  If  you  should  approve  of  this 
Scheme,  &  will  let  me  know  beforehand,  I  will  exert  myself  in  getting 
you  Lodgings,  &  every  thing  else  convenient.  Dr  Cooper  has  some  thoughts 
of  takeing  a  tour  to  the  southward  &  of  making  you  a  visit  this  Fall,  which 
if  he  does,  I  shall  accompany  him,  as  there  is  a  Vacation  then  of  four  or 
five  weeks. 

Before  I  conclude  I  must  beg  you  to  write  me  immediately  on  the  re 
ceipt  of  this  Letter,  as  I  am  extremely  anxious  to  hear  how  my  mother 
bears  this  misfortune,  &  of  your  own  Health,  &  be  certain  that  I  shall  do 
every  thing  in  my  Power  ;  to  prevent  your  good  advice  being  thrown  away 
upon  me. 

I  am  with  sincere  regard  &  effection 
Yours 

JOHN  PARKE  CUSTIS. 


45 

Dr.  Cooper  to   Washington. 

Dr  Cooper  presents  his  most  respectful  Comp8  to  Col.  Washington ;  & 
returns  him  his  Son-in-Law,  without  any  Vices  that  he  knows  of,  and  with 
many  Virtues,  wherewith  he  is  perfectly  acquainted. 

His  assiduity  hath  been  equal  to  his  Rectitude  of  Principle ;  and  it  is 
hoped  his  Improvements  in  Learning  have  not  been  inferior  to  either. 
KING'S  COLL  :  NEW  YORK 
20  September,  1773. 

Vardill  to  Washington. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  20  September,  1773. 
Sr. 

I  have  taken  the  Liberty  of  addressing  a  Letter  to  you,  on  a  Subject 
extremely  agreeable  to  me,  &  which,  I  am  sensible,  must  be  particularly 
so  to  you.  The  Conduct  of  your  Son,  during  his  Residence  at  this 
Seminary,  has  been  such,  as  that  it  would  be  injustice  to  deny  him  the 
tribute  of  approbation  he  deserves,  &  you  Sr  the  satisfaction  which  a  gen 
erous  Parent  must  receive  from  the  Reputation  of  one  he  loves.  At  a 
Period  of  Life  in  which  the  Passions  are  most  violent  he  has  discover'd  a 
remarkable  purity  of  morals,  &,  when  Gaiety  invited  him  to  pleasure,  has 
with  such  constancy  devoted  himself  to  his  studies,  as  to  give  us  the 
surest  ground  to  expect  that  he  will  hereafter  attain  to  that  excellence, 
which  his  natural  powers  render  him  capable  of.  When  I  inform  you, 
that  his  affability  &  Courtesy  have  eudear'd  him  to  mine,  as  well  as  to  the 
affection  of  all  who  are  concern'd  in  his  Education,  you  may  suspect  me 
of  partiality.  But  this  Friendship  itself  would  prompt  me  to  the  strictest 
sincerity  in  this  Description,  least  I  might  injure  one  whom  I  esteem,  by 
imprudently  lulling  Parental  caution  into  a  dangerous  Security.  If  the 
Intrusion  of  this  Letter  wants  an  apology,  I  can  only  confess,  that  I  could 
not  deny  myself  the  satisfaction  of  giving  this  testimony  to  merit,  of 
presenting  my  humble  respects  to  you,  Sr,  &  your  amiable  Lady,  of  con 
gratulating  Her  on  the  hopes  that  her  Precepts  &  Examples  of  Piety  will 
be  practis'd  &  imitated  by  her  son,  &  of  professing  myself,  with  all 
sincerity,  Sr. 

Your  friend  &  humb1  serv* 

JOHN  VARDILL. 

Dr.  Cooper  to  Washington. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK,  10  January,  1774. 
Good  Sir, 

I  have  received  yours  and  Mr  Custis's  Letters  of  the  19th  of  December. 
For  the  many  polite  Expressions  of  Regard,  in  Both,  I  beg  Leave  to 
return  my  just  acknowledgments.  I  hope,  and  earnestly  wish,  the  young 
adventurer  may  enjoy  every  Pleasure,  in  his  new  state,  which  his  Imagina 
tion  hath  already  formed ;  and,  from  every  account  of  the  young  Lady's 
Disposition  and  Qualifications,  and  from  my  own  knowledge  of  His,  I  can 
not  but  think,  that  they  bid  very  fair  for  Happiness :  I  pray  Heaven  they 
may  obtain  it. 

The  monies  you  left  in  my  hands  were  nearly  expended  when  Mr  Custis 
went  to  Virginia :  what  remained  not  being  sufficient  to  pay  the  Tutors 
the  stipulated  quarterly  salary.  Since  the  Rec*  of  yours,  I  have  called  in 
all  the  Bills  that  I  could  think  of :  amongst  which  are  two  of  considerable 


46 

sums :  viz.  Rivington's  of  19,  2,  3£  and  Graham,  a  Taylor's,  of  £58  3 
10£.  Besides  these  there  are  several  small  ones;  of  all  which,  together 
with  an  exact  account  of  my  own  Payments,  you  shall  receive  the  sums,  by 
the  next  Post ;  I  say  the  sums,  on  account  of  the  postage ;  the  Bills  them 
selves,  as  well  as  those  already  paid,  with  Rects  to  them,  as  those  not  yet 
discharged,  being  equally  at  your  Service,  if  you  think  proper  to  have  them. 

The  amount,  taken  collectively,  seems  large,  but  you  will  find,  on  Con 
sideration,  that  ye  really  collegiate  Expenses  are  no  ways  high.  The 
death  of  Miss  Custis  brought  on  a  considerable  charge ;  but  then  the 
articles  are  in  Being.  The  Chair,  the  Horse,  the  Money  given  to  Mr 
Custis  for  travelling  Expences  swell  the  Bill  exceedingly ;  but  then  the 
two  former  articles  are  nearly  worth  as  much,  I  presume,  at  this  Time,  as 
they  were  then.  The  money  laid  out  in  papering  the  Room  &c.,  may  be 
sunk  of  course :  the  furniture  has  been  sold  at  auction,  under  the  care  of 
Mr  Harpur,  into  whose  Hands  Mr  Vardill  committed  the  Business,  upon 
his  sailing  for  England.  The  same  person  has  packed  up  Mr  C's  Clothes, 
&c.,  &  sent  them  as  directed.  You  will  find  that  ye  professors  have  just 
been  paid  their  constant  Wages ;  with  which  they  have  no  Reason  to  be 
dissatisfied ;  though  they  much  lament  Mr  Custis's  unexpected  Departure. 
For  my  own  Part,  it  is  impossible  to  make  any  charge  at  all ;  I  have  no 
Idea  of  it. 

I  should  have  been  happy  in  waiting  upon  you  at  Mount  Vernon ;  but 
circumstances,  not  to  be  foreseen,  utterly  put  it  out  of  my  power  to  begin 
my  Journey,  till  such  Time  as  I  was  convinced  you  must  have  set  off  for 
Williamsburgh :  so  that  I  was  not  disappointed.  Perhaps  upon  some 
future  occasion,  I  may  be  more  fortunate.  It  would  afford  me  much 
pleasure  to  spend  a  few  Days  with  you  and  Mr  Custis  any  where :  and,  I 
hope  it  is  not  unsupposeable  that  you  and  He  (after  he  has  been  some 
time  a  Husband)  may  take  another  Journey  to  the  Northward. 

I  will  write  to  Mr  C.  when  I  send  the  accounts.  In  the  mean  Time  I 
beg  my  best  Regards  to  Him,  &  am  &c. 

M.  COOPER. 

You  must  excuse  the  scrawl;  for  the  Ink,  every  second,  freezes  in  my 
Pen. 

J)r.  Cooper  to  Custis. 

KING'S  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK,  5  February,  1774. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  did  myself  the  Pleasure  of  writing  to  Colo.  Washington  ye  10th  of 
last  month,  and  promised,  in  that  letter,  to  write  to  you,  &  send  the  state  of 
your  accounts,  by  the  next  week's  post. 

My  Intention  was  good — but  I  could  not  act  up  to  it,  as  the  accounts 
could  not  so  soon  be  collected.  I  have,  now,  I  hope,  got  them  all.  I  do 
not  send  them  inclosed,  on  account  of  ye  postage :  but  Mr  Harpur,  who 
knows  much  more  of  Figures  than  myself,  has  taken  the  Trouble  to  digest 
them ;  and  in  such  a  manner  as,  I  hope,  will  make  them  intelligible  enough, 
to  a  person  skilled  in  Business  at  least,  however  they  might  perplex  one 
unused  to  such  like  Transactions. 

I  am  apprehensive  the  sum  of  them  rises  higher  than  your  expectation : 
I  own  it  is  higher,  by  much,  than  /supposed  it  would  have  been.  Graham's 
Bill  is  an  heavy  one,  but  you  best  know  what  articles  you  had  of  him.  I 
always  heard  him  reckon'd  a  dear  Fellow — as  I  once  told  you  ; — whether 


47 

he  is  honest  or  not,  is  another  Question :  But  it  is  certain  he  is  a  violent 
presbyterian. 

You  will,  I  hope,  not  take  it  merely  as  a  compliment — to  which  kind  of 
Business  you  know  I  am  not  much  addicted — when  I  assure  you  of  my 
being  very  sensibly  affected  upon  your  leaving  this  College.  The  Regard 
I  had  conceived  for  you,  from  the  Regularity  of  your  Conduct,  and  the 
Goodness  of  your  Disposition,  could  not  possibly  produce  any  other  effect 
upon  me.  However,  I  doubt  not,  from  ye  amiableness  of  your  Lady — that 
is — or  Lady-that-is-to-be 's  Deportment,  Character,  and  Accomplishments, 
that  she  will  make  you  happy  at  home,  which  is  more  than  most  people,  I 
fear,  find  themselves  to  be  abroad. 

Our  good  Governor  is  very  much  indisposed ;  &,  I  presume,  will  hasten 
away  to  England  with  all  possible  expedition.  Miss  Bell  Auchmuty,  I 
hear,  is  on  ye  point  of  marriage,  to  a  Mr  Burton,  an  English  Gentleman  of 
considerable  Fortune,  settled  at  Brunswick.  This  is  all  the  news  I 
recollect.  Indeed,  my  Hands  are  so  full  of  Business  since  Mr  Vardill's 
Departure,  that  I  cannot  often  stir  abroad,  add  to  which,  that,  for  upwards 
of  a  week  past,  I  have  been  much  indisposed  with  a  most  violent  cold,  as 
not  to  be  able  to  leave  even  my  Room. 

What  is  become  of  Mr  Boucher  ?  I  wrote  to  him,  presently  after  my 
Return  from  Maryland  ;  but  not  one  word  have  I  heard  of  him  since.  I 
hope  you  will  not  be  so  totally  engaged,  after  marriage,  as  our  Friend 
seems  to  have  been. 

With  my  best  wishes  for  your  Happiness,  and  my  best  Respects  to  Col° 
Washington,  whom,  you  know,  I  highly  esteem,  I  am,  dear  Sir,  &c 

MYLES  COOPER. 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

THE  LODGE,  6  August,  1775. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  thought  it  far  from  the  least  pleasing  circumstance  attending  my  re 
moval  hither  that  it  placed  me  in  your  immediate  neighbourhood.  For 
having  now  been  happy  in  your  acquaintance  several  years,  I  could  not 
help  considering  myself,  nor  indeed  help  hoping  that  I  was  considered  by 
you,  as  an  old  friend ;  and  of  course  I  counted  on  our  living  together  in  the 
pleasing  intercourse  of  giving  and  receiving  the  mutual  good  offices  of 
neighbourhood  and  friendship. 

That  things  have  turned  out  much  otherwise  I  need  not  inform  you. 
Mortified  and  grieved  as  I  confess  myself  to  be  at  this  disappointment,  I 
am  by  no  means  prepared  to  say  that  you  are  wholly  to  be  blamed  for  it ; 
nor,  as  I  would  fain  hope  you  in  your  turn  will  own,  is  it  entirely  owing  to 
any  fault  of  mine.  I  can  easily  suppose  at  least  that  we  neither  of  us  think 
ourselves  to  blame  ;  and  yet  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  had  I  been  in 
your  place  I  should,  in  this  as  well  as  in  other  things,  have  taken  a  differ 
ent  part  from  that  which  you  have  chosen.  Permit  me,  sir,  as  one  who 
was  once  your  friend,  and  at  any  rate  as  one  not  likely  to  be  soon  trouble 
some  to  you  again  in  the  same  way,  once  more  as  a  friend  freely  to  expos 
tulate  with  you.  If  I  am  still  in  the  wrong,  I  am  about  to  suffer  such  pun 
ishment  as  might  satisfy  the  malice  of  even  the  most  vindictive  enemy ;  and 
if  you  are  wrong,  as  in  some  degree,  I  think  you  are,  it  is  my  duty  frankly 
to  tell  you  so,  and  yours  to  listen  to  me  with  patience. 


48 

On  the  great  points  so  long  and  so  fruitlessly  debated  between  us  it  is 
not  my  design  now  again  to  solicit  your  attention.  We  have  now  each  of 
us  taken  and  avowed  our  side,  and  with  such  ardour  as  becomes  men  who 
feel  themselves  to  be  in  earnest  in  their  convictions.  That  we  should  both 
be  in  the  right  is  impossible,  but  that  we  both  think  we  are  we  must  in 
common  candour  allow.  And  this  extreme  difference  of  opinion  between 
ourselves,  when  we  have  no  grounds  for  charging  each  other  with  being 
influenced  by  any  sinister  or  unworthy  motives,  should  teach  us  no  less 
candour  in  judging  of  and  dealing  by  others  in  a  similar  predicament. 
There  cannot  be  anything  named  of  which  I  am  more  strongly  convinced 
than  I  am  that  all  those  who  with  you  are  promoting  the  present  apparently 
popular  measures  are  the  true  enemies  of  their  country.  This  persuasion, 
however,  will  by  no  means  justify  me,  should  I  be  so  weak  and  wicked  as 
to  molest  them  while  they  do  not  molest  me.  I  do  not  say  this  because  I 
happen  to  be  in  what  is  called  the  minority,  and  therefore  without  any 
power  of  acting  otherwise ;  it  is  the  decision  of  truth  and  justice,  and  can 
not  be  violated  without  doing  violence  to  every  system  of  ethics  yet  re 
ceived  in  any  civilized  country.  The  true  plan  in  such  cases  is  for  each 

/  party  to  defend  his  own  side  as  well  as  he  can  by  fair  argument,  and  also, 
if  possible,  to  convince  his  adversary :  but  everything  that   savours  of,  or 

,\  but  approaches  to,  coercion  or  compulsion  is  persecution  and  tyranny. 

It  is  on  this  ground  that  I  complain  of  you  and  those  with  whom  you  side. 
How  large  a  proportion  of  the  people  in  general  think  with  you  or  think 
with  me  it  is  in  none  of  our  powers  to  ascertain.  I  believe,  because  I 
think  I  can  prove  it,  that  your  party,  to  serve  an  obvious  party  purpose, 
exceedingly  magnify  the  numbers  of  those  whom  they  suppose  to  take  part 
with  you,  and  you  tax  us  with  doing  the  same.  But  there  is  this  great, 
manifest,  and  undisputed  difference  between  us.  No  Tory  has  yet  in  a 
single  instance  misused  or  injured  a  Whig  merely  for  being  a  Whig.  And 
whatever  may  be  the  boasted  superiority  of  your  party,  it  will  not  be  de 
nied  that  in  some  instances  at  least  this  has  been  in  our  power.  With 
respect  to  Whigs,  however,  the  case  has  been  directly  the  reverse ;  a  Tory 
at  all  in  the  power  of  a  Whig  never  escapes  ill  treatment  merely  because 
of  his  being  a  Tory.  How  contrary  all  this  is  to  all  that  liberty  which 
Whigs  are  for  ever  so  forward  to  profess  need  not  be  insisted  on ;  it  is  so 
contrary  to  all  justice  arid  honour,  that  were  there  no  other  reasons  to  deter 
mine  me  against  it,  as  there  are  thousands,  I  would  not  be  a  Whig,  because 
their  principles,  at  least  as  I  see  them  exemplified  in  practice,  lead  so 
directly  to  all  that  is  mean  and  unmanly. 

It  is  a  general  fault  in  controversial  writers  to  charge  all  the  errors  of  a 
party  on  every  individual  of  that  party.     I  wish  to  avoid  the  disgrace  of 
so  indiscriminate  a  judgment ;  and  therefore  have  a  pleasure  in  acknowledg 
ing  that  I  know  many  Whigs  who  are  not  tyrants.     In  this   number  it  is 
-but  doing  you  common  justice  to  place  you.     I  wish  I   could  go  on,  and 
with  equal  truth  declare  that,  whilst  you  forbear  yourself  to  persecute  your 
fellow  subjects  on  the  score  of  their  political  creeds,  you  had  been  as  care- 
*•  ful  to  discourage  such  persecution  in  others.     Scorning  to  flatter,  as  much 
'ias  I  scorn  to  tax  you  wrongfully,  I  am  bold  thus  openly  to  tell  you  I  think 
you  have  much  to  answer  for  in  this  way.     It  is  not  a  little  that  you  have 
to  answer  for  with  respect  to  myself. 

You  know,  and  have  acknowledged,  the  sincerity  and  the  purity  of  my 
principles ;  and  have  been  so  candid  as  to  lament  that  you  could  not  think 
on  the  great  points  that  now  agitate  our  common  country  as  I  do.  Now, 


49 

sir,  it  is  impossible  I  should  sometimes  avow  one  kind  of  principles  and 
sometimes  another.  I  have  at  least  the  merit  of  consistency  ;  and  neither 
in  any  private  or  public  conversation,  in  anything  I  have  written,  nor  in 
anything  I  have  delivered  from  the  pulpit,  have  I  ever  asserted  any  other 
opinions  or  doctrines  than  you  have  repeatedly  heard  me  assert  both  in  my 
own  house  and  in  yours.  You  cannot  say  that  I  deserved  to  be  run  down, 
vilified,  and  injured  in  the  manner  which  you  know  has  fallen  to  my  lot, 
merely  because  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  think  on  some  political  points  just 
as  you  and  your  party  would  have  me  think.  And  yet  you  have  borne  to 
look  on,  at  least  as  an  unconcerned  spectator,  if  not  an  abettor,  whilst,  like 
the  poor  frogs  in  the  fable,  I  have  in  a  manner  been  pelted  to  death.  I  do 
not  ask  if  such  conduct  in  you  was  friendly :  was  it  either  just,  manly,  or 
generous  ?  It  was  not :  no,  it  was  acting  with  all  the  base  malignity  of  a 
virulent  Whig.  As  such,  sir,  I  resent  it:  and  oppressed  and  overborne  as 
I  may  seem  to  be  by  popular  obloquy,  I  will  not  be  so  wanting  in  justice 
to  myself  as  not  to  tell  you,  as  I  now  do  with  honest  boldness,  that  I  de 
spise  the  man  who,  for  any  motives,  could  be  induced  to  act  so  mean  a 
part.  You  are  no  longer  worthy  of  my  friendship :  a  man  of  honour  can 
no  longer  without  dishonour  be  connected  with  you.  With  your  cause  I 
renounce  you ;  and  now  for  the  last  time  subscribe  myself,  sir, 
Your  humble  servant 

JONATHAN  BOUCHER.* 


Boucher  to  Washington. 

PADDINGTON,  NEAR  LONDON,  25  May,  1784. 
Sir, 

I  will  not  affront  you  with  any  apologies  for  this  intrusion  :  for,  greatly 
altered  as  I  am  to  suppose  you  are,  since  I  had  the  Honour  of  living  in 
Habits  of  Intimacy  with  you,  it  is  not  possible,  you  can  be  so  changed  as 
that  you  would  not  feel  yourself  hurt,  &  with  Reason,  were  any  man,  who 
had  ever  known  you,  to  think  it  necessary  to  apologize  to  you  for  doing 
which  he  is  prompted  to  do,  only,  by  a  sense  of  Duty ;  &  what,  moreover, 
He  believes  it  to  be  no  less  your  Duty  to  attend  to,  than  it  is  his  to  suggest. 

It  is  no  Part  of  my  present  Purpose  to  trouble  you  with  any  Reflections 
of  mine  on  the  many  great  events  that  have  taken  Place  within  the  last 

*  This  letter  was  furnished,  with  other  material,  to  the  Notes  and  Queries,  5th  series, 
vi,  August  26,  1876,  by  the  grandson  of  the  writer,  Rev,  Jonathan  Bourchier.  In  the 
same  periodical  (5th  series,  ix,  19  January,  1878)  Col.  Joseph  Lemuel  Chester,  by  no 
means  an  unimportant  authority  on  questions  relating  to  Washington,  raised  the  ques 
tion  whether  the  letter  had  ever  been  received  by  Washington,  and  believed  that  the 
dedication  of  the  "  View  of  the  Causes  and  Conse'quences  of  the  American  Revolution" 
was  a  complete  withdrawal  of  the  "  unfounded  charges"  made  in  1775.  There  is  cer 
tainly  no  record  of  its  reception  by  Washington,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the  letter 
was  not  sent,  for  if  despatched,  it  must  have  been  handed  to  Washington  in  the  camp 
at  Cambridge,  when  the  important  concerns  of  the  army  rendered  a  record  improb 
able,  had  any  such  record  been  deemed  necessary.  The  tone  and  spirit  of  Boucher 
are  genuine,  and  might  be  compared  with  many  similar  expressions  struck  off  in  the 
heat  of  party  contest,  and  under  the  strong  provocation  of  injuries  inflicted  by  the 
"  good  people"  of  the  Colonies  upon  real  or  suspected  Tories.  "Social  intercourse  was 
interrupted,  life  long  friendships  broken  off,  and  families  divided  by  the  political 
questions  raised  by  the  conduct  of  the  British  government  towards  America,  and  the 
intense  bitterness  engendered  by  these  differences  easily  led  to  acts  of  persecution  as 
cruel  as  they  were  unjust.  The  letter  of  Franklin  to  Strahan  is  merely  another  ex 
pression  of  the  closing  words  of  Boucher  to  Washington,  and  in  the  one  case  as  in  the 
other,  relations  were  subsequently  reopened,  when  the  results  of  the  Revolution  ren 
dered  a  further  nursing  of  injuries  as  foolish  as  it  was  unnecessary. 


50 

eight  or  nine  years.  You  &  I,  alas !  have  not  been  the  only  Persons  who 
have  differed  in  our  opinions ;  or  who  have  found  it  impossible  to  agree. 
This  is  no  Time  nor  Place  for  settling  such  Points ;  ere  long,  we  shall  all 
have  to  answer  for  them  at  a  Tribunal,  where  alone  it  is  of  infinite  mo 
ment  that  we  should  be  justify'd. 

How  far  you  will  agree  with  me  in  thinking  it  in  your  Power  to  do 
something  for  the  Religious  Interests  of  your  Countrymen,  I  undertake  not 
to  say ;  but,  I  assure  myself,  we  shall  not  differ  by  your  thinking  it  of  lit 
tle,  or  no,  moment.  It  cannot,  I  think,  afford  you  Pleasure  to  reflect,  how 
much  has  been  done,  through  your  means,  for  the  Civil  Concerns  of  your 
Country ;  &  how  little,  as  yet  at  least,  for  those  of  a  higher  Nature.  That 
your  Countrymen  will  be  either  better  or  happier  by  what  has  happened, 
permit  me  to  say  remains  yet  to  be  proved :  I  am  sure,  you  wish  they 
should ;  but  it  can  be  no  Matter  of  Doubt  or  Dispute  with  any  Man,  that 
they  can  neither  be  so  good  nor  so  happy  as  they  have  been,  if  they  are 
not  religious.  Many  of  the  speculations  which  the  late  unsettled  Times 
have  given  Birth  to,  resemble  your  Persimmons  before  the  Frost :  they  are 
fair  to  the  Eye  and  specious ;  but  really  disgusting  &  dangerous.  This,  in 
my  mind,  is  the  Case,  in  a  particular  manner,  with  many  or  most  of  the 
Utopian  Projects,  respecting  Universal  Equality,  on  the  subject  of  Religious 
Establishments.  I  am  unwilling  to  go  deeply  into  the  Investigation  of  this 
Question,  though  I  want  not  Materials  in  Abundance,  to  show  you,  that  it 
is  romantic  &  mischievous  in  the  extreme ;  because  such  a  Discussion  must 
needs  be  tiresome  &  tedious  to  you :  suffice  it,  for  the  present,  to  remind 
you,  that  the  Practice  of  the  whole  World  is  against  you.  Similar  at 
tempts,  in  similar  Tunes,  were  made  in  these  kingdoms :  &  if  I  were  very 
anxious  to  set  you  against  such  Projects,  I  certainly  could  take  no  more 
effectual  means,  than  by  desiring  you  to  remember  what  the  Consequences 
of  them  were.  In  short,  Sir,  I  hardly  know  a  Point  more  capable  of 
Demonstration — from  History  &  Experience — than  this  is,  that,  to  secure 
permanent  national  Felicity,  some  permanent  national  Religion  is  abso 
lutely  necessary. 

I  would  hope  in  Virginia  &  Maryland  at  least,  this  would  not  be  an  un 
popular  opinion,  as  it  certainly  ought  not :  &  I  think  certainly  would  not, 
if  espoused  &  patronized  by  a  Person  that  is  popular.  It  is  in  this  Light 
I  view  you ;  &  this  is  the  Reason  of  my  having  taken  the  Liberty  to  sub 
mit  these  suggestions  to  your  consideration. 

There  are,  at  this  time,  in  this  country,  candidates  for  Orders  in  the 
Church  of  England  both  from  Virginia  &  Maryland :  it  will  not  surprise 
you,  that,  from  the  Changes  that  have  taken  Place,  they  should  meet  with 
Difficulties ;  nor  does  it  surprize,  though  it  greatly  grieves  me,  that  the 
Illwillers  &  Enemies  of  our  Church,  British  as  well  as  American,  avail 
themselves  of  these  unfortunate  Circumstances,  to  discountenance  &  dis 
courage  our  Church,  if  possible,  still  more  than  it  is.  Some  of  these  Diffi 
culties  I  hope,  will  be  soon  got  over ;  &  they  all  would,  if  the  People  of 
your  States  could  think  it  right  to  shew  a  Desire  only,  that  they  might. 
It  might,  perhaps,  as  yet,  be  too  much  to  ask  for  a  Restora"  of  the  old 
Establishment  of  the  Church  of  England,  though  it  be  a  measure  which 
sound  Policy  will  sooner  or  later  adopt,  &  the  longer  it  is  delayed,  the 
worse  it  will  be :  but,  I  hope  it  is  not  too  much,  nor  too  soon,  to  hope  that, 
even  now,  the  members  of  that  church  may  be  put  on  a  Footing  with  Chris 
tians  of  other  Denominations ;  which  they  never  can  be,  till  all  the  Ordi 
nances  of  the  Church  are  in  their  own  Power,  independent  of  any  foreign 


51 

States :  &  among  those  Ordinances,  that  of  ordination,  &c.,  is  most  essen 
tial.  In  short,  both  Justice  &  Policy  require  that  you  should  have  a  resi 
dent  Bishop  of  your  own,  that  your  young  Men  may  be  ordained,  as  well 
as  educated  among  yourselves. 

I  have  no  other  interest  in  this  measure,  than  what  my  Zeal  for  the 
Church  &  the  best  Interests  of  Mankind  give  me :  but,  believing  as  I  do, 
that  it  is  of  great  Moment,  the  Thing  should  be  attended  to,  &  soon,  &  that 
you  are  particularly  concerned  to  attend  to  it,  because  no  other  Man  can 
do  it  with  such  advantage.  I  could  not  be  easy  till  I  had  thus  satisfy'd 
my  Conscience.  Three  years  ago,  I  wrote  you  a  Letter  to  the  same  Pur 
pose  ;  but  my  Friends  within  the  King's  Lines,  thinking  that  neither  the 
Times  nor  yourself  were  then  in  a  Temper  to  bear  such  applications,  sup 
pressed  it.  I  have  now  done  my  Duty,  &  leave  the  Rest  to  Providence : 
&  will  add  this  only,  that  if,  by  any  Means,  either  as  I  have  studied  the 
subject  more  than  most  Men,  or  as  I  happen  to  have  Connexions  in  this 
Country,  as  well  as  yours,  who  are  sincere  &  may  be  useful,  Friends  to 
such  Measures,  I  beg  leave  to  make  you  a  Tender  of  my  best  services  on 
the  occasion. 

It  was,  no  Doubt,  a  great  Mortification  &  Calamity  to  me  to  have  all  my 
American  Property  torn  from  me ;  the  Loss  of  my  Character  in  that  Coun 
try,  which  I  little  deserved,  affected  me  much  more,  as  you  will  allow  it 
ought :  but,  I  have  lately  felt  the  utmost  Edge  of  keen  sorrow,  when  it 
pleased  Providence  to  deprive  me  of  a  true  Friend,  a  most  loving  &  be 
loved  wife,  for  whom  I  was  indebted  to  that  Country.     I  pray  God  long  to 
preserve  you  &  yours  from  this  the  heaviest  of  all  misfortunes. 
With  respectful  Compts  to  Mrs  Washington, 
I  remain  &c. 


Dedication   of  Boucher's  "  View  of  the    Causes   and    Consequences  of  the 
American  Revolution" 

To 
GEORGE  WASHINGTON  ESQUIRE, 

of  Mount  Vernon, 
in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia. 
SIR, 

In  prefixing  your  name  to  a  work  avowedly  hostile  to  that  Revolution  in 
which  you  bore  a  distinguished  part,  I  am  not  conscious  that  I  deserve  to 
be  charged  with  inconsistency.  I  do  not  address  myself  to  the  General  of 
a  Conventional  Army ;  but  to  the  late  dignified  President  of  the  United 
States,  the  friend  of  rational  and  sober  freedom. 

As  a  British  subject  I  have  observed  with  pleasure  that  the  form  of 
Government,  under  which  you  and  your  fellow-citizens  now  hope  to  find 
peace  arid  happiness,  however  defective  in  many  respects,  has,  in  the  unity 
of  it's  executive,  and  the  division  of  it's  legislative,  powers,  been  framed 
after  a  British  model.  That,  in  the  discharge  of  your  duty  as  head  of  this 
Government,  you  have  resisted  those  anarchical  doctrines,  which  are  hardly 
less  dangerous  to  America  than  to  Europe,  is  not  more  an  eulogium,  on  the 
wisdom  of  our  forefathers,  than  honourable  to  your  individual  wisdom  and 
integrity. 

As  a  Minister  of  Religion  I  am  equally  bound  to  tender  you  my  respect 
for  having  (in  your  valedictory  address  to  your  countrymen)  asserted  your 


opinion  that  "  the  only  firm  supports  of  political  prosperity  are  religion 
and  morality ;"  and  that  u  morality  can  be  maintained  only  by  religion." 
Those  best  friends  of  mankind,  who,  amidst  all  the  din  and  uproar  of  Uto 
pian  reforms,  persist  to  think  that  the  affairs  of  this  world  can  never  be 
well  administered  by  men  trained  to  disregard  the  God  who  made  it,  must 
ever  thank  you  for  this  decided  protest  against  the  fundamental  maxim  of 
modern  revolutionists,  that  religion  is  no  concern  of  the  State. 

It  is  on  these  grounds,  Sir,  that  I  now  presume  (and  I  hope  not  imper 
tinently)  to  add  my  name  to  the  list  of  those  who  have  dedicated  their 
works  to  you.  One  of  them,  not  inconsiderable  in  fame,  from  having  been 
your  fulsome  flatterer,  has  become  your  foul  calumniator  :*  to  such  dedica 
tors  I  am  willing  to  persuade  myself  I  have  no  resemblance.  I  bring  no 
incense  to  your  shrine  even  in  a  Dedication.  Having  never  paid  court  to 
you  whilst  you  shone  in  an  exalted  station,  I  am  not  so  weak  as  to  steer 
my  little  bark  across  the  Atlantic  in  search  of  patronage  and  preferment ; 
or  so  vain  as  to  imagine  that  now,  in  the  evening  of  my  life,  I  may  yet  be 
warmed  by  your  setting  sun.  My  utmost  ambition  will  be  abundantly  gra 
tified  by  your  condescending,  as  a  private  Gentleman  in  America,  to  receive 
with  candour  and  kindness  this  disinterested  testimony  of  regard  from  a 
private  Clergyman  in  England.  I  was  once  your  neighbour  and  your 
friend :  the  unhappy  dispute,  which  terminated  in  the  disunion  of  our  re 
spective  countries,  also  broke  off  our  personal  connexion :  but  I  never  was 
more  than  your  political  enemy ;  and  every  sentiment  even  of  political  ani 
mosity  has,  on  my  part,  long  ago  subsided.  Permit  me  then  to  hope,  that 
this  tender  of  renewed  amity  between  us  may  be  received  and  regarded  as 
giving  some  promise  of  that  perfect  reconciliation  between  our  two  coun 
tries  which  it  is  the  sincere  aim  of  this  publication  to  promote.  If,  on  this 
topic,  there  be  another  wish  still  nearer  to  my  heart,  it  is  that  you  would 
not  think  it  beneath  you  to  co-operate  with  so  humble  an  effort  to  produce 
that  reconciliation. 

You  have  shewn  great  prudence  (and,  in  my  estimation,  still  greater 
patriotism)  in  resolving  to  terminate  your  days  in  retirement.  To  become, 
however,  even  at  Mount  Vernon,  a  mere  private  man,  by  divesting  yourself 
of  all  public  influence,  is  not  in  your  power.  I  hope  it  is  not  your  wish. 
Unincumbered  with  the  distracting  cares  of  public  life,  you  may  now,  by 
the  force  of  a  still  powerful  example,  gradually  train  the  people  around 
you  to  a  love  of  order  and  subordination ;  and,  above  all,  to  a  love  of 
peace.  "  Hse  tibi  erunt  artes."  That  you  possessed  talents  eminently 
well  adapted  for  the  high  post  you  lately  held,  friends  and  foes  have  con 
curred  in  testifying :  be  it  my  pleasing  task  thus  publicly  to  declare  that 
you  carry  back  to  your  paternal  fields  virtues  equally  calculated  to  bloom  in 
the  shade.  To  resemble  Cincinnatus  is  but  small  praise :  be  it  yours,  Sir, 
to  enjoy  the  calm  repose  and  holy  serenity  of  a  Christian  hero ;  and  may 
"  the  Lord  bless  your  latter  end  more  than  your  beginning !  " 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

Sir, 

Your  very  sincere  Friend, 
And  most  obedient  humble  Servant, 

Epsom,  Surrey,  )  JONATHAN  BOUCHER. 

4th  Nov.  1797.  j 

*  Thomas  Paine. 


53 

Washington  to  Boucher. 

MOUNT  VERNON,  15  August,  1798. 
Revd  Sir, 

I  know  not  how  it  is  happened,  but  the  fact  is  that  your  favor  of  the  8th 
of  Novr  last  year  is  but  just  received,  and  at  a  time  when  both  public  and 
private  business  pressed  so  hard  upon  me,  as  to  afford  no  leisure  to  give 
the  "  View  of  the  Causes  and  Consequences  of  the  American  Revolution," 
written  by  you  &  which  you  had  been  pleased  to  send  me,  a  perusal. 

For  the  honor  of  its  dedication,  &  for  the  friendly  and  favorable  senti 
ments  which  are  therein  expressed,  I  pray  you  to  accept  my  acknowledg 
ment  &  thanks. 

Not  having  read  the  Book,  it  follows  of  course  that  I  can  express  no 
Opinion  with  respect  to  its  political  contents  ;  but  I  can  venture  to  assert 
before  hand  &  with  confidence,  that  there  is  no  man  in  either  country  more 
zealously  devoted,  to  Peace  and  a  good  understanding  between  the  two 
nations  than  I  am,  nor  one  who  is  more  disposed  to  bury  in  oblivion  all 
animosities  which  have  subsisted  between  them  &  the  individuals  of  each. 

Peace  with  all  the  world,  is  my  sincere  wish.  I  am  sure  it  is  our  true 
policy — and  am  persuaded  it  is  the  ardent  desire  of  the  Government.  But 
there  is  a  nation,  whose  intermeddling  and  restless  disposition  and  attempts 
to  divide,  distract  and  influence  the  measures  of  other  countries,  that  will 
not  suffer  us  I  fear  to  enjoy  this  blessing  long,  unless  we  will  yield  to 
them,  our  Rights  and  submit  to  greater  injuries  &  insults  than  we  have 
already  sustained,  to  avoid  the  calamities  resulting  from  War. 

What  will  be  the  consequences  of  our  arming  for  self  defence,  that  Pro 
vidence  who  permits  these  doings,  in  the  disturbers  of  mankind  &  who  rules 
and  governs  all  things  alone  can  tell.  To  its  all  powerful  decrees  we  must 
submit,  Whilst  wre  hope  that  the  justice  of  our  cause,  if  war  must  ensue, 
will  entitle  us  to  its  protections. 

With  very  great  Esteem,  I  am 

Your  most  obed1  serv1 

G°  WASHINGTON 


or  THf 

UNIVERSITY 


14  DAY  USE 


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